2025 MLB Draft: Kyson Witherspoon contract details revealed for Red Sox first-round pick

The Boston Red Sox have come to terms on a contract with first-round pick Kyson Witherspoon. The right-handed pitcher out of Oklahoma has reportedly signed for $5 million.

Witherspoon was selected 15th overall in the 2025 MLB Draft by Boston. That’s a pick with a slot value of $5,114,200. His $5 million deal is therefore slightly below the slot value for the pick.

Ahead of the 2024 season, Witherspoon transferred to Oklahoma. Prior to that, he played for Northwest Florida State College. A Florida native, he made the decision to transfer to the Sooners with his twin brother, Malachi. In 2022, Malachi was selected in the 12th round of the MLB Draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks but chose to go to school instead. He would again be drafted 62nd overall by the Detroit Tigers in 2025.

In two seasons at Oklahoma, Kyson Witherspoon proved to be a star. He would appear in 33 games and make 27 starts with an 18-7 record. That was in 175 innings pitched. He had an ERA of 3.14 in college with a 1.171 WHIP. He also had 214 strikeouts and only 63 walks in his career. That’s 11.0 strikeouts per nine innings pitched.

Notably, those 214 career strikeouts are 18th in Oklahoma program history. That’s in just two seasons pitching for the Sooners.

Ahead of the MLB Draft, MLB.com shared a scouting report on Witherspoon. In it, the right-handed pitcher was praised, in particular, for his fastball, which is one of the best that any pitcher boasts in the entire draft.

“Witherspoon has swing-and-miss stuff, starting with a mid-90s fastball that peaks at 99 mph and stands out more for its power than its modest life,” his MLB scouting report reads. “His mid-80s slider can touch 91 mph while featuring both horizontal action and depth, and he’ll turn it into an upper-80s cutter that he uses just as often. He’s showing more consistency with his low-80s downer curveball, giving him another plus offering. While his upper-80s changeup is a work in progress that gets too firm but will show interesting fade at times.”

Now, Kyson Witherspoon will join the Boston Red Sox organization. With Craig Breslow, a former MLB relief pitcher, as the franchise’s Chief Baseball Operator, pitching has become a major emphasis. The Red Sox selected 14 pitchers in their 21 selections this year alone. Coming into the system, there’s going to be hope that Witherspoon is going to be able to quickly rise through the ranks there and find his way to Boston relatively soon.