The Boston Red Sox had the 15th pick in the first round of the 2025 MLB Draft. We saw plenty of mock drafts with different options for the organization.
One name you didn't really expect to see next to the Red Sox was Kyson Witherspoon. That's likely because no mock drafts had him falling past the No. 10 pick. We don't want to question it — Boston landing Witherspoon is another unexpected draft success. However, this seems to be a recurring theme for the Red Sox in recent years.
Marcelo Mayer shouldn't have fallen to pick No. 4 in the 2021 draft, but he did. Kyle Teel shouldn't have been anywhere near No. 14 in 2023, but he landed in Boston's lap there. Braden Montgomery wasn't going to last until No. 12 last year, until he did.
The luck has paid dividends for the Red Sox. Mayer is now in the majors, and early impressions are great. Teel and Montgomery were the two headliners in the trade for ace Garrett Crochet.
Red Sox got lucky with Kyson Witherspoon at pick No. 15 in 2025 MLB Draft
just nasty 🤧 @kybone904 pic.twitter.com/cSxnugM6Nh
— Oklahoma Baseball (@OU_Baseball) May 16, 2025
The return on investment in those three draft picks has to give you confidence when it comes to this season. Those three picks turned into one of the best pitchers in all of baseball, and a promising hitter who has looked incredibly smooth and confident no matter where he's placed on the diamond.
The Red Sox once again got a prospect who simply had no business still being available when their pick came around. Witherspoon is a right-handed pitcher with four "plus" pitches. His cutter, curveball, and slider are all great. Meanwhile, the fastball (which can already hit 99) is the star of the show.
Witherspoon could quickly become one of the best prospects in the system. He's someone we'll look back on in a year and say, "How did this guy fall to the Red Sox?"
Luckily, that's something Boston fans have gotten to do a lot in recent years.