Despite how long it took for the Boston Red Sox to call up their top prospects when they looked ready for the majors, young players around the league are bucking the tradition of taking years to develop before they reach The Show.
Pittsburgh Pirates pitching phenom Paul Skenes spent just one full season in the minor leagues before he was called up. A's first baseman Nick Kurtz, 22, played just 33 minor league games between 2024-25 before he made his major league debut.
Red Sox 2025 first-round draft pick Kyson Witherspoon could be among the next to join them. Witherspoon fell to Boston at pick No. 15, and Baseball America is confident the young righty will make a fast impression in the Sox's farm system. Baseball America tabbed the 22-year-old as one of the few 2025 draftees who could make their major league debut in 2026 (subscription required).
"College starters who saw sizeable workloads like Witherspoon are typically shelved after signing to save their arms, but more often than not, they end up moving right out of the gates when they do make their minor league debuts," Geoff Pontes wrote. "Depending on where he lands, Witherspoon is likely to be a pitcher who should breeze through the lower levels and land in the upper minors in the first half of 2026."
Baseball America tabs Red Sox 2025 first-round pick Kyson Witherspoon as a potential candidate to make MLB debut in 2026
With the No. 15 pick in the 2025 MLB Draft, the @RedSox select Kyson Witherspoon, RHP, @OU_Baseball. pic.twitter.com/jaUNd2dfgJ
— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) July 13, 2025
Witherspoon was named by multiple experts as the best college righty in this year's draft class, and his body of work from his 2025 season at the University of Oklahoma backs that up. He posted a 2.65 ERA with 124 strikeouts and 23 walks over 95 innings of work.
Witherspoon will join a Red Sox farm system that is newly reinforced with pitching talent, thanks to Craig Breslow's drafting capabilities. Payton Tolle (3.25 ERA, 101 strikeouts in 63.2 innings) was promoted to Double-A in late June after an utterly dominant start in High-A. Brandon Clarke (2.30 ERA, 48 strikeouts over 31.1 innings) was promoted to High-A after just 9.2 stellar frames at the lowest level. If Baseball America's prediction is accurate, Witherspoon could climb even faster.
Baseball America listed Witherspoon's deadly fastball and newly improved curveball as reasons for a potentially quick ascent. Red Sox fans should keep an eye on the righty's impending Red Sox farm system debut — he may not be down there long.