The Red Sox have agreed to a deal with first-round draft pick Kyson Witherspoon, according to MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis. Witherspoon will get a $5MM bonus, which is below the $5,114,200 slot price attached to the 15th overall selection.
The University of Oklahoma product was viewed as the top college right-hander in this year’s draft class, and the best righty pitcher available altogether on some boards. It was seen as something of a coup for the Red Sox to grab Witherspoon with the 15th overall pick, as pundits all had him within their top tens. Fangraphs was highest on Witherspoon as the sixth-rated prospect in their rankings, Baseball America had him seventh, the Athletic’s Keith Law placed Witherspoon ninth, and MLB Pipeline and ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel each had the righty tenth.
Witherspoon’s repertoire is highlighted by an outstanding fastball that can hit 99mph, and regularly sits in the 95-97mph range. His slider also received a 60-grade from both BA and Pipeline, as Witherspoon can throw the pitch with “horizontal action and depth” (as per Pipeline’s scouting report) anywhere from the mid-80s to touching 91mph. His curveball and changeup aren’t quite as consistently high-rated by evaluators, but there is plus potential with either pitch, giving Witherspoon the possibility of a front-of-the-rotation arsenal. His delivery is a little unusual, but Law observes that Witherspoon’s arm action helps him achieve quality control on his pitches.
His player comp is Hunter Greene
I wonder if he’ll be a quick riser as many recent MLB DPs have been in recent years.
He could hit the bullpen this season I’d think, as a nice option in long relief.
BW-I was thinking the same thing. Probably depends on whether they have an IP limit. But throwing 99 out of the BP might not require that much development time, and then the RS can devote their resources to an SP, maybe a 1B.
If he can stay healthy, he should make his debut with the Red Sox either late in 2026 or break with the team from camp in 2027. They might start him out in High-A for the remainder of this season (if they choose to play him at all in 2025). He should quickly move up to AA in early 2026 and be promoted to AAA mid-summer next season. He could debut in Boston in July-August of next year if all goes well. He’ll need to stay 100% healthy to accomplish this.
So Shines a Good Deed in a Weary World….need one today… so far the big boy pants are very loose….
Can he move into the #4 SP slot right now?!🤣
Oh, no. Don’t David Clyde the poor kid.
Let – Excellent reference, respect!
FPG
Is it possible that by playing Yoshida in the field they could be trying to increase his tradability? Rafaelas infield defense does not compare favorably to his CF defense. I know you are keen on him at 2ndbase. ( soft excuses) If he was in center that near disaster doesn’t happen with Yoshida. I’m for Mayer playing 2nd full-time. If the Sox are “showcasing” Yoshida ,they are potentially weakening there defense at 3 positions. With Yoshida in left, Duran in center,and Rafaela at 2nd.
FPG
I tried to reply to an earlier post of yours and it would not allow me to
It said ” replies to unapproved comments are not allowed ect
Never seen that before
cdc – Yes, it helps re-build his trade value. They said Roman was under the weather yesterday as the reason why he DH’d, but re-building trade value was no doubt a factor as well.
I’d much rather they trade Yoshida than Duran, but then you’d have to DH one of the four outfielders every game. Not ideal, but at least it would keep Rafaela out of the infield.
So think of it that way …. right now, it’s either play Rafaela occasionally at 2B or bench him. Which would you prefer?
cdc – Which post of mine was that? I don’t have any “Pending Moderator Approval” posts that I’m aware of.
FPG
I’m having trouble finding it now. I believe it was the one that said ,rafaelas had not played 2nd much ?????? BTW,I don’t think that is a good excuse. Could they have removed it ???
I do have trouble finding certain post on here. I wish there was a way to know when certain people post. Obviously it was not offensive in any way . Well maybe to some of your “”fans”” on here. LOL
cdc – The post in which I defend Rafaela’s error by saying it was only his 2nd start at 2B in a year and only the 7th of his MLB career? Figures, removing proof that I support Rafaela too!
I’ll look for it.
cdc – I can’t find it. What likely happened is another person’s comment upstring was removed, which usually leads to the removal of all comments below the removed.comment. Because replies to removed comments become irrelevant.
I wish the notifications would include more than just 10, so many I get simply drop off before I get a chance to read them.
Have you ever done an AI Overview on yourself? Here’s mine, it made me laugh. LOL
AI Overview
“Fever Pitch Guy” appears to be a Red Sox fan who is a frequent and well-known commenter on the
MLB Trade Rumors website. The commenter is known for their strong opinions about the Red Sox and other MLB teams and for their interactions with other commenters.
For example:
In March 2024, they commented on a Red Sox trade rumor article, agreeing with another commenter’s analysis but lamenting the team’s tendency to not pay for elite multi-positional bench players.
FPG
Wow, that is very cool.
cdc – Okay I pulled it for you …. congrats, you are a frequent and robust commenter according to AI ;o)
“MLB Trade Rumors (MLBTR) is a popular website for tracking news and rumors in Major League Baseball, with a robust comments section where users engage in discussions. One frequent commenter on the MLBTR website goes by the username “cdchi”
.
This user has been particularly active in discussions about the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs, sharing opinions on trades, player performance, and team strategies. For example, in July 2025, cdchi suggested the Red Sox might be playing Masataka Yoshida in the field more often to increase his trade value, considering Ceddanne Rafaela’s infield defense compared to his center field defense. They also expressed a preference for trading Yoshida over Jarren Duran but noted that trading Yoshida would necessitate designating one of the four outfielders every game.
In a discussion about the Red Sox’ potential trade for Joe Ryan, cdchi proposed a package built around high-end prospects such as J. Garcia, F. Arias, P. Tolle, and possibly K. Campbell. While expressing a reluctance to include Duran, they acknowledged it might be necessary.
Cdchi has also commented on other MLB topics, including the Houston Astros’ strong performance, noting that they thought the Astros’ reign was over but were impressed by Jose Altuve’s continued success and the team’s phenomenal bullpen, led by Josh Hader. They also voiced their strong dislike for the Home Run Derby.
In a discussion about the Cubs’ decision to trade Cody Bellinger to the New York Yankees, which became official on December 17, 2024, cdchi likely joined in the discussions about Bellinger’s performance and the implications of the trade. However, the direct comments from cdchi specifically regarding the Bellinger trade weren’t found in the search results. Bellinger’s departure was driven by the Cubs’ desire to free up payroll and address roster configuration issues as they sought to improve after two consecutive 83-win seasons. Some sources indicate that trading Bellinger was seen as the clearest path to achieving their goals through the trade market.”
FPG
Wow…. OK.
Robust, that’s funny. ..
I don’t recall commenting on the Bellinger trade, I will say his swing kind of reminds me of
Phil Plantiers swing…..
cdc – Yes good comparison with Plantier! He was one of many who started out so well and then just flamed out, but I will always remember his black hightops. LOL!
Last night’s game was a tough loss. Sox pitched very well until Hicks, their bullpen is one of the best and Philly’s is one of the worst, that’s why I thought for sure the Sox would win when Wheeler’s pitch count kept rising.
Fitts is my man, but it’s gonna be really really hard to win tonight. I think they lose tonight and win tomorrow. But the Dodgers have been really scuffling, so I think the Sox win the weekend series and finish the 9-game gauntlet 4-5 which is acceptable. That’s all I ask, 4-5 should be enough to acquire good players this time. Hopefully.
let- bravo! had the pleasure of meeting him years ago. a very humble man.
I interviewed Whitey Herzog (Clyde’s first manager with the Rangers- 1973) years ago and he told me that one of his great regrets was how things went down with Clyde. The Rangers were horrible, but the team knew that putting an 18 year-old phenom on the bump every 5 days would (and did, for a time) put butts in the seats.
a small victory for a ruined career.
and I’m guessing that let knows that John Lowenstein was part of the trade that sent Clyde to the Indians in 1978.
smk – What happened with Clyde was very similar to what happened to Campbell this year. The Red Sox rushed him to the majors only because he agreed to a very team-friendly contract and because he was willing to learn every position.
He’s totally lost at the plate in AAA right now, actually doing worse (.645 OPS) than he did with the Red Sox (.664 OPS).
In fact since July 5th he’s batting just .143 with a pathetic .488 OPS. Definitely another big strike against Cora/Breslow, hopefully they stop abusing him and he regains his confidence.
Why would any team rush someone to MLB because they agreed to a team-friendly contract? That makes no sense. They needed a RH bat. Campbell was not learning every position. He played just about every game at 2B. You are in no position to speak about someone’s confidence. There is certainly no abuse going on. What a horrible post.
immediate top 25 prospect (which was going to be whoever the red sox drafted because BA just blindly hypes whoever they have)
or he’s actually a legitimate top flight prospect because BA knows what they’re doing. He won’t be 25 but could be top 100 not that that type of thing matters to you.
Yeah, would expect a dozen of the first round picks to be in the top 100. Good chance Witherspoon will be one, he was the consensus #10 going into the draft.
Note that Tolle also broke into the top 100, first BA and now MLB Pipeline as well.
Tolle is pretty high on the BA list and is rising on others. He’s impressed a lot this season so I wouldn’t be surprised if MLB pipeline slotted Tolle around the 45/50 range at the end of there season.
If the sox can do that with Tolle, I am hopefully for what Witherspoon can become in their pitching program.
It sometimes helps to read the article. This is called a “consensus”:
“Fangraphs was highest on Witherspoon as the sixth-rated prospect in their rankings, Baseball America had him seventh, the Athletic’s Keith Law placed Witherspoon ninth, and MLB Pipeline and ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel each had the righty tenth.”
tragedeigh
Love watching this kid pitch. Delivery is so smooth.
Meh, better off with Reese Witherspoon
The top 5 draft hauls per mlb.com:
1. O’s
2. Pirates
3. Rays
4. Rockies
5. Red Sox
mlb.com/news/teams-with-best-hauls-in-2025-mlb-dra…
When you have a ridiculous bonus pool like the O’s, it would be shameful if they didn’t walk away with a haul.
Breslow made a savvy move in grabbing the 33 pick along with Rodriguez for Priester. After a rough couple of months Rodriguez has been hitting much much better and the 33rd pick certainly allowed the sox to add more top end talent and expanded the bonus pool.
The concern is that Priester has been a quality #3 / #2 starter for Milwaukee since the trade. Also, look at Nick Pivetta in San Diego. He is having a monster season now that he is away from the Red Sox. It could just be a coincidence, but it does make you wonder a little bit about the Red Sox pitching philosophy and whether or not it is in par with other teams in the league.
Priester’s peripherals haven’t been as impressive. He’s had a nice run but can he keep doing it is a real question. As for Pivetta he moved onto a pitchers park and his home road splits are atrocious so I wouldn’t hang my hat on either one as a “success” story outside of the red sox.
This stuff is amusing to me. Do you just look at the pitchers who do better with other teams, and not pitchers who do better with Boston?
Did you notice Chapman is having the best year he’s had since 2016?
Have you noticed Alcala has a 0.73 ERA with Boston and he had a 8.88 ERA with Minnesota?
Crochet had a 3.58 ERA last year and with Boston it;’s 2.19.
It could just be a coincidence, but it makes you wonder about your ability to think rationally on par the other posters on this thread.
Pivetta’s WHIP is 1.00 this year. In 2024 with Boston it was 1.13, In 2023 it was 1.12.
Pivetta has always had awesome stuff. They just didn’t want to comitt long term thinking they still had Houck to go with Crochet, and Bello as a good top three.
Pivetta is also very inconsistent which is also why it made no sense to commit to him.
Ace – you cant denigrate what Pivetta has done. He was fantastic end of last season and carried it over for a great first half. The guy also takes the ball every five days. As former pitchers I would say that Breslow and Bailey have very badly mismanaged the pitching in both the major league and minors.
Beeslow’s drafting has been very good. Maybe he missed his calling as Director of College Scouting, oh wait, we fired all the scouts
Pointing out that Pivetta has a road ERA that is two runs higher than his home ERA is not denigrating him. it’s a fact. Second he spent time of the IL while on the red sox last season so he wasn’t taking the ball every 5 days as you said but don’t let the facts get in the way of your argument.
Ace – he wasnt even a full time starter last year.
So far, he has made 20 starts, that’s every five days, i couldve been more specific about that……
On the road this year he gave up 6ER’s in Colorado, and that wrecked his era, but not more than 3 anywhere else.
Don’t let the real world get in the way of your numbers and analytics……
A10
Some people were critical of Breslow for offering Pivetta a Qualifying Offer. Not wanting to commit $21 million to Pivetta. Breslow was certainly praised when the Sox received the compensation pick for giving him that QO. IM not surprised by his success, he had some excellent runs while with the Sox.
Sad: He gave up 5 on the road against the Giants too and giving up 6 ERs to the worst team in baseball regardless of the location is bad. He also was a full time starter last year and missed time because of an elbow injury. One of us is operating in the real world and it isn’t you.
CD: the problem was his lack of consistency. He did have good runs here and there but had difficulty maintaining them. I don’t blame the sox for passing on him especially with the elbow injury he sustained the year before.
A10
Yes. Pitchers like Pivetta are #5 starters on championship level teams. IMO. Smart move by Breslow offering him a QO. , Many did not agree with that offer. Thought the Sox may get stuck with him. I always liked him but would not want him starting a playoff game.
Ace – if Pivetta were on the team he’d be second in K’s, ERA, wins, IP….I’m not saying he’s a must have SP worthy of a 2 or 3 year deal, i’m saying he’s a nice piece over 162 and slots nicely into the bullpen for the playoffs if that’s what you want him to do. I dont understand why its so terrible to say the Sox would be better with him, so far this year.
I root for the laundry that the players wear. But once theyre gone I dont think that they aren’t good. I think Breslow gave up on Priester too quickly, is that a terrible thing to say also?
Add Brad Keller to that mix…. who looks like a different pitcher with the Cubs than he was with the Red Sox.
Why was it so terrible that I Said Pivetta’s home road splits were bad (a fact BTW) which you claim was denigrating Pivetta? Also based on said splits I doubt he’d be pitching as well as he is for Boston. That was my biggest point but you seemed to take that personally for whatever reason.
Ace – in all seriousness, youre right, I overreacted. I am tired of Breslow, et al, getting a pass on most (not all) of his moves. Yes, he extended a QO, and he got an extra pick, ok, great.
But, he let a major league pitcher who was throwing well, walk, while signing a guy for more money (this year) in Buehler. How much better would the Sox be if they had Pivetta rather than W.B. in the first half?
Im tired of lottery ticket signings, lightning in a bottle guys and rehabbing SPs. Bottom line is, he let a guy walk that should be helping us. Simplistically, the team is not better because of his choices.
I overreacted yes, but we lost a good arm and a great competitor for what amounts to about $10mm and we’re allowing the front office to have a victory lap because we got a guy that may or may not be Nick Pivetta in a few years
Fair enough sad. That’s a valid point on Pivetta.
This would be awesome news for Baltimore fans if Elias wasn’t such a train wreck at every other aspect of the GM role besides drafting
Sox win today with Hicks and Alcala closing it out.
The boss is demanding that they change their name to the Orange Sox.
hayzee – I’m glad they pulled out the win because I had said they’d win big today, it almost looked like I would be wrong ….. I hate being wrong!
FPG – glad you weren’t wrong, it would confuse my simple brain if you were LOL
I hate, hate, hate what Cora did this weekend. Rafaela at 2B all of a sudden? The guy is owning CF and NOW you want to move him?!?!?!?
Also, this idea that Mayer, Duran and I’ll say Abreu also shouldnt be out against a lefty is ludicrous. Here’s what Analytics gets wrong 100% of the time, and i won’t back down because its not even debatable. If you really think this is a playoff or WS team, and Imanaga is out there throwing that 75mph curveball that no one can seem to hit, Mayer and Duran didnt see it. And yes, they might have struck out on it Saturday too, but they would have seen it, and in a World Series game may recognize it and hammer it!!! But now they cant because it’ll be the first time seeing it. So, the choice is player Mayer and Duran in a game in July (oh, BTW, you lost anyway) or play Refsynder in left again in the World Series…..
Damn the spreadsheets
Sad – Unfortunately there’s just no perfect scenario right now because of the outfield jogjam. When facing a RHP, you can’t get all of Abreu/Duran/Rafaela/Anthony in the outfield at the same time. It is what it is. Their bats in the lineup have more of a positive impact to offset the drop in defense by putting Rafaela at 2B.
You’ve got Roman who Flemming yesterday said is the team’s best hitter (which i agree with), you’ve got Duran who is getting on base (walked twice yesterday) and making things happen on the bases (he absolutely STOLE an obstruction call yesterday!!), and of course you’ve got Abreu with another 2 homeruns.
I totally agree, players who have struggled against LHP won’t get better against them if they don’t face them. But I think at this point in the season winning takes precedence over guys learning by struggling. What they do at the deadline will depend largely on how much they win over the next 9 games. It’s hard to bench guys like Romy and Ref against LHP when they absolutely own LHP.
And now just some random thoughts on yesterday’s game:
1) Turner should retire, he looked completely overmatched as he has all season. Having him start his first game in 9 days, and against Crochet of all people, was inexcusable. Just more of the typical “always put a righty in against lefties” spreadsheet nonsense.
2) Even more spreadsheet nonsense, Dansby swinging away with a runner on 2B and nobody out when they were leading 1-0. Against a guy like Crochet, you gotta bunt in that situation because the chances of advancing the runner otherwise are very slim. They would have scored on the wild pitch if that runner was advanced.
.3) As much as I love Duran’s intentional obstruction, it doesn’t make sense that obstruction calls can’t be challenged. MLB should change that.
4) Nothing makes me smile more than when a Sox player botches a bunt attempt, and then hits a homerun in the same plate appearance! Abreu shouldn’t have been bunting to begin with, not against the RHP Pressly who has been very mediocre over his past 30 games.
5) PCA should win MVP, the guy is amazing. He came so close to making another circus catch yesterday.
6) Phillies are ripe for the taking, losing 6 of their last 9 games and each of their past 3 series.
7) Can’t wait to see Ohtani pitch at Fenway on Sunday!
FPG – I agree that Ref and Romy could/should play against lefties. But in some instances you gotta use your head a little. Mayer isnt gonna hit lefties if he never sees them.
FVP……PCA is a punk and some one needs to stick one in his ribs …. my take from the Cubs series.
Coop – I’ve heard some references to him by Sox fans, but I was in and out of yesterday’s game so didn’t catch everything that went on. What did he do?
I dont understand why the Giants who were projected to take him went for a 2B who stank it up against better pitchers. Time will tell if Buster went bust on first rounder
I don’t know if John Barr is still involved with the Giants drafting process. Great scout.
“In the 2008 MLB draft, John Barr, the San Francisco Giants’ scouting director, was instrumental in selecting Buster Posey with the fifth overall pick, according to MLBPA Players. Barr had previously scouted Posey while working for the Los Angeles Dodgers and was thrilled when the Giants were able to draft him.”
John Barr/Dick Tidrow – they helped build the World Series teams of 2010’s
Drafting isn’t easy. For example, Jackson Merrill wasn’t taken until the 27th pick of the first round in 2021. A lot of teams passed on him.
guys slip all the time especially high schoolers due to bonus demands etc.
He is FILTHY
Rick- that’s unfortunate, because I feel that personal hygiene is important.
Lol
Sad – Maybe his bad odor makes the hitters nauseous?
compare this guy with chapman….. 99mph fastball mixed with a slider is exactly what we need in the future just like how chapman throws that same fastball with that same speed tells you something on how he will possibly become key in the future. you can also compare him with Jorge alcala, except kyson throws a bit harder and has better numbers compared with alcala
sox -I agree but I must add, elite velo doesn’t mean crap if you can’t combine it with movement and control and not put added strain on your elbow/arm. If I had a dollar for every hard throwing can’t miss kid who flamed out, I’d be even wealthier than I am now. LOL!
BTW – Most people here don’t even realize Chapman was a walk machine until the Pirates fixed him last year. I give much credit to Breslow for finally signing him, but the Red Sox had NOTHING to do with “fixing” him.
If the Sox want to impress me, then “fix” Alcala and Hicks.
I was glad the Sox picked Witherspoon, but I was hoping the Pitcher from Arkansas would drop to 33…. but Phillies took him at 26.
Velocity means nothing if you cannot locate.
Good thing Witherspoon is good at locating his pitches
cdc – Exactly!!!
And speaking of velocity, did you see Devers today had another 3 hits, 2 HR and 4 RBI? Seems like his back is definitely feeling better.
He’s now batting .283 with a .863 OPS in his last 15 games, and batting .323 with a .925 OPS in his last 7 games. Also playing stellar defense at first base. Why can’t we get great players like that?