Red Sox Ink Deal With Pitching ‘Culture Changer’

Kyson Witherspoon was not supposed to be there at No. 15 — and the Boston Red Sox wasted no time cashing in.

The Red Sox have officially signed their 2025 first-round pick, locking in the Oklahoma right-hander with a $5 million signing bonus, per MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis.

The deal comes in just under the $5.11 million slot value for the No. 15 pick — the MLB-recommended bonus for that draft position. Teams use these slot values to manage their draft budgets but players can sign for more or less.

At 6-foot-2 and 207 pounds, Witherspoon entered the draft with consensus top-10 status. MLB.com and ESPN each ranked him No. 10 while Baseball America slotted him at No. 7. FanGraphs placed him even higher at No. 6, reflecting widespread belief that he would not fall past the top 10. The Red Sox capitalized on that unexpected slide.

Witherspoon was regarded as the best right-handed pitcher in the class by several outlets. His arsenal is anchored by a high-octane fastball that touches 99 mph and lives in the mid-90s. His slider and curveball both graded out as plus offerings and his cutter adds another wrinkle in the mid-to-upper 80s. He combines all that with clean mechanics, a compact arm action and improving command.

This marks the first time the Red Sox have taken a pitcher in the first round since Tanner Houck in 2017. Witherspoon, 20, drew rave reviews from draft analysts not just for his pitch mix but also for his mound presence and makeup.  

Oklahoma head baseball coach Skip Johnson praised his character and leadership in a report by NBC Sports Boston’s Justin Leger, calling him “a culture changer” who holds teammates accountable and takes initiative beyond the spotlight.

With the deal done, Boston adds a mature, high-octane presence to its pitching pipeline.