With the eighth overall pick, the Blue Jays could select… Kyson Witherspoon?

After a dismal 74-88 season, the Toronto Blue Jays will pick eighth overall in next month’s draft.

Despite having the fifth-best odds to land the first overall pick, the Jays dropped all the way to eighth. Still, there’ll be some good players available with that selection. Unlike last season, the Jays won’t have their second-round pick as it was forfeited with the signing of Anthony Santander.

The Blue Jays have picked eighth overall in one other draft, all the way back in the 1998 draft. With that pick, they selected Felipe Lopez, who went on to have one All-Star-calibre season for the Cincinnati Reds, but an underwhelming career overall.

They really have to hit on this eighth overall pick, as their next pick comes 73 selections later with the 81st overall pick in the third round. This pick will have a slot value of $6,813,600, a large chunk of their $10,314,600 bonus pool money.

With that said, let’s take a look at Kyson Witherspoon, a right-handed pitcher who could be of interest for the Blue Jays.

Kyson Witherspoon’s bio

Witherspoon stands at 6’2”, 206 lbs and attends Oklahoma University, not to be confused with Oklahoma State University, which is the school that Juaron Watts-Brown attended. The right-handed pitcher ranks as MLB Pipeline’s eighth-best draft prospect and was linked to the Blue Jays in the site’s most recent mock draft.

When the Blue Jays pick a player out of the state of Oklahoma, it’s usually from Oklahoma State, as they’ve made 13 picks from that school, the most notable being Watts-Brown. However, the Jays have only made two selections from Oklahoma University: David Purcey in the first round of the 2004 draft and Sherman Collins in the 33rd round of the 1986 draft.

Could Witherspoon be the third player they pick from the school?

Kyson Witherspoon’s stats

Witherspoon’s freshman season was spent at Northwest Florida State College before transferring to the University of Oklahoma in 2024. That season, the right-handed pitcher posted a 3.71 ERA and a 4.18 FIP in 80 innings pitched, with 11 of his 17 appearances being starts.

So far this season, Witherspoon has started all 16 games he’s appeared in, dropping his ERA to 2.65 and his FIP to 2.86 in 95 innings pitched. Witherspoon also has a 31.8 K%, up from his 24.1 K% last season, as well as a 5.9 BB%, down from his 10.7 BB% in 2024.

Kyson Witherspoon’s tools

Withspoon’s best pitch is his fastball that sits mid-90s, but has reached as high as 99 mph. It doesn’t have a ton of life, but nearly hitting triple digits is never a bad thing. His slider and cutter are his two best secondary pitches, the slider reaching as high as 91 mph, and his cutter sits in the upper 80s, according to his MLB Pipeline bio.

To round out his pitch mix, Witherspoon features an above-average curveball, as well as a below-average changeup, which has some potential. He’s shown the ability to throw strikes this season and has average command, with the potential to be a frontline starter per MLB Pipeline.

Kyson Witherspoon’s grades

Let’s take a look at his grades according to MLB Pipeline and Fangraphs.

It’s worth noting that MLB Pipeline accounted for the season that Witherspoon has had, while Fangraphs is his preseason scouting report.

Will the Blue Jays select Kyson Witherspoon?

Over the past five drafts, the Blue Jays have picked two college pitchers: Gunnar Hoglund in the 2021 draft and Trey Yesavage in the 2024 draft. The former was packaged in a trade to acquire Matt Chapman and made his debut this season with the Athletics, while the latter is currently a Top 100 prospect and dominating the lower minor leagues.

A college arm is a safe bet, especially one who has the upside that Witherspoon has. Do they go with a college righty for the second consecutive season? Realistically, it depends on whether they believe Witherspoon is the best prospect available when they pick eighth overall. That said, their biggest need in the farm system is a bat with power and elite starting pitching.