The excitement was loud when the Oklahoma pitcher Kyson Witherspoon fell to the Boston Red Sox at pick No. 15 of the 2025 MLB Draft. No one expected him to be around that long, and he was quickly heralded as one of the biggest steals of the draft.
However, the good vibes didn’t last too long. Witherspoon struggled out of the gate in High-A. Through his first seven starts, the right-handed pitcher held a 7.18 ERA, .290 BAA, and 1.71 WHIP with 26 strikeouts and 16 walks. To some fans, the sky was falling. Forget the fact that he was only 26 1/3 innings into his career, clearly, Witherspoon would never be able to recover from this.
On May 24, Witherspoon allowed one run on two hits over 4 1/3 innings. His next outing saw him do something he hadn’t done as a professional — not give up a run. The 21-year-old tossed a career-high five scoreless innings on May 31. On June 6, he allowed one run on four hits over a new career-best 5 1/3 innings.
In a three-start span, Witherspoon allowed two runs on nine hits over 14 2/3 innings. He struck out 16 batters and walked six.
Red Sox 2025 first-round pick Kyson Witherspoon hitting his stride in High-A
Thanks to those 14 2/3 innings, Witherspoon’s numbers improved drastically. His ERA spiked from 7.18 to 5.05, his BAA dipped from .290 to .259, and his WHIP fell from 1.71 to 1.46.
Sure, they’re all numbers you want to still see improve. However, they’re all nothing to panic over. Suddenly, fans are excited again. The sky isn’t falling anymore. It’s almost like we’ve just reached June in his first professional baseball season, and numbers can be skewed from a few rough outings.
Even through the rough patches, Kyson Witherspoon was giving us glimpses of the talent. You could watch any given game, pick out a few ABs, and see him completely pick apart a hitter with utter filth.
There are things people need to remember when it comes to prospects and the minor leagues. First, not everyone is built the same. You can’t expect every player to burst onto the scene. Just because Anthony Eyanson is speed running his way to Boston doesn’t mean everyone has to.
Most teams don’t get a Roman-Anthony-like rise through the system. It just seems to keep happening to the Red Sox, so fans are conditioned to think it’s normal (Anthony, Payton Tolle, Kristian Campbell, Jhostynxon Garcia, Eyanson, etc.)
Second, development isn’t linear. There are bumps in the road. Prospects will go through ups and downs and different levels, and at different times in their careers. Something will cause a hiccup, and another might speed things up.
Finally, the minor leagues are weird. We’re only two months into the season. Players aren’t always at the level they’re supposed to be at. You’re getting used to new teammates, new surroundings, new competition, a new environment, and a new life.
Meanwhile, the coaching staff is giving you weird (but important) instructions. They might be telling Witherspoon he’s only allowed to throw his slider on two-strike counts for an entire game. The team isn’t as focused on the base stats fans look at; they have their own numbers and way of looking at things.Â
Witherspoon’s first seven outings weren’t what Red Sox fans were hoping for. But with this recent three-game stretch and his first professional win in the books on Saturday, the light is shining bright at the end of the tunnel.
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