The Red Sox have, over the last couple of years, established themselves as an organization with one of the best farm systems in all of baseball–at least when it comes to position players. But for pitchers? Well, that has been a different story and it’s been clear that team president Craig Breslow wants to change that.
Amid the hype around position players like Marcelo Mayer, Roman Anthony and Kristian Campbell, Breslow went into the 2024 MLB draft and took an astounding 14 pitchers, out of 20 picks. That was an impressive commitment to the assignment of adding a depth of arms to the farm system.
But in 2025, Breslow topped that commitment, taking 15 pitchers in the draft, including their first two picks and eight of their first 10 picks. Boston made 21 picks altogether and, continuing another trend under Breslow, used 20 of those picks on collegiate players, with 19th-round outfielder Fabian Bonilla the only high schooler selected.
And when it comes to the arms the Red Sox acquired, the early reviews were strong.
Kyson Witherspoon a Top 10 Player
The Red Sox took Kyson Witherspoon from Oklahoma at No. 15, and followed that up with Marcus Phillips from Tennessee in the second round and LSU’s Anthony Eyanson in the third round. Witherspoon is 20 and coming off a 10-4 season last year with the Sooners, could be in the big leagues by this time next season.
ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel listed Boston among those making his five “favorite moves,” and wrote:
“Witherspoon had a lot of interest in the top 10, but the Red Sox got him at No. 15. He’ll need to sharpen his execution a notch and his short arm action is unique, but there’s midrotation upside. Marcus Phillips has a chance to start but could also bring another distinctive look as a late-inning arm with four plus pitches from a low slot and a triple-digit fastball. Anthony Eyanson is a different sort, with fringy fastball velocity but standout command along with a slider and splitter that keep hitters off-balance.”
Red Sox Replenishing Pitching in System
It was not just ESPN approving of what Breslow did in the draft. No doubt, the Red Sox need the arms–even after all the promotions of their top position-player prospects, only four of their Top 15 MLB.com pipeline prospects are pitchers. Their top pitching prospect–Luis Perales–is recovering from Tommy John surgery,
Witherspoon, considered the top righty in this draft, is a good start at changing that.
Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report granted the Red Sox an A for the Witherspoon selection, writing, “The Red Sox were tied to the second tier of college pitching and likely did not expect Witherspoon to still be on the board at this point, so terrific value for a team that has had a bit more success developing pitching in recent years.”
CBS Sports also granted the Red Sox an A, as did Austin Curtright of USA Today. “The Red Sox get good value in Witherspoon, who boasts a big fastball that peaks at 99 mph. His fastball has a 65 grade, according to MLB Pipeline. Witherspoon also has three plus secondary offers in his slider, cutter and curveball, which are all 60-grade pitches.”
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