Insider Names Red Sox ‘Winner’ Of MLB Draft’s Day One

The Boston Red Sox followed a torrid finish to the first half by adding young talent via the 2025 MLB Draft. One national insider likes how Boston began the selection process Sunday night.

Boston went against recent organizational trends to take Oklahoma pitcher Kyson Witherspoon with the No. 15 pick. The Red Sox added another right-handed hurler when grabbing Tennessee’s Marcus Phillips at pick No. 33.

Those choices received a thumbs-up from The Athletic’s Jim Bowden. The former general manager named the Red Sox as one of his five Day 1 draft “winners,” declaring that they “did really well” with their picks.

“Witherspoon and Phillips should be relatively quick to the majors,” Bowden wrote. “And, with the Red Sox’s strong pitching coach and analytics staff, both have large runways to improve over the next couple of years. Boston finished off its solid Day 1 by taking infielder Henry Godbout out of Virginia at No. 75 and right-hander Anthony Eyanson out of LSU at No. 87.”

The Witherspoon selection has particularly drawn rave reviews. Former Colorado Rockies general manager Dan O’Dowd declared on the MLB Network broadcast that the 20-year-old has more upside than any pitcher in the 2025 draft class.

Witherspoon climbed up draft boards by posting a 2.65 ERA and 124 strikeouts in 95 innings for the Sooners this year. MLB.com and ESPN each ranked him as this year’s No. 10 overall draft prospect.

Phillips throws a fastball that sits in the high 90s, lending to immense strikeout potential. MLB.com’s scouting report likened the 6-foot-4, 246-pounder to Texas Rangers pitcher Kumar Rocker.

The Red Sox already have an exciting crop of young position players in the majors and minors, so they augmented that strength with a pitching-heavy approach on Sunday. They haven’t stopped on Monday, drafting five straight pitchers after selecting Arizona shortstop Mason White in the fourth round.