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Physical Description: Medium
frame. Good athlete. Some remaining projection, especially in
his upper body.
Mechanics: Throws from a
three-quarters arm slot starting on the first base side of the
rubber. Cleaned up his delivery considerably throughout his time
in college. Medium leg kick. Short strider with sub-5.7-foot
extension. Jerky arm action with a short arm circle where he
hides the ball behind his body. Average release height. Repeats
delivery well.
Fastball: 95-97 mph. Tops
out at 99 mph. Able to hold velocity deep into outings. Took a
step forward with his command and control as a college junior.
Pitch has average shape and flashed bat-missing ability more due
to its velocity than its shape. Potential plus offering.
Cutter: 88-91 mph. Hard pitch with short,
horizontal break. Used frequently and able to throw for strikes
consistently. Shows bat-missing ability and is capable of
generating chase. Potential above-average offering.
Slider: 84-87 mph. Two-plane shape. Flashes
tilt and depth at its best. Able to land the pitch in the zone
or bury it down and out when looking for whiffs. Potential
average offering.
Curveball: 79-82 mph.
11-to-5 shape. Pitch has a high spin rate and considerable
vertical depth. Struggles to consistently land it in the zone,
but generates a bunch of whiffs when it is competitive.
Potential above-average offering.
Changeup:
87-89 mph. Least-used offering in college, but already flashing
potential as a pro. Throws with deceptive arm speed. Has late
drop. Has the confidence in it to double it up against
left-handed hitters. Potential average offering. |
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Career Notes: Twin brother and
college teammate, Malachi, was drafted by the Tigers in the
second round (#62 overall) in 2025. Was not drafted out of high
school (although his brother was). Both he and his brother
pitched for Northwest Florida State Junior College as freshmen
before transferring to Oklahoma. Pitched in the Cape Cod League
for Chatham and for the Team USA collegiate national team after
his sophomore year. Significantly raised his draft stock each
year of college, particularly in his junior year, when developed
into one of the top college arms while cutting his walk rate in
half and adding velocity. Young for a college draftee, as he did
not turn 21 until a month after the draft. Was a consensus top-10 talent in the 2025 draft and fell to the Red Sox at the 15th
pick overall. Pitched in the 2026 Spring Breakout game.
Summation: Intriguing right-hander with big
velocity and multiple potential above-average secondaries. Has
mid-rotation upside if he continues on his current development
trajectory. Made considerable strides with his command and
control and continued to refine his secondaries as a college
junior. Fastball plays more due to its velocity than its shape,
and the latter could be something the Red Sox may tweak. Cutter
and slider are distinct offerings, both of which he controls
well and have strong bat-missing ability. Changeup and curveball
both flash bat-missing ability, but he needs to find more
consistency with each. Worked on a sweeper ahead of the 2026
season, as featured in a video that went viral on social media
in which he appeared to pick up the pitch in less than 30
seconds, but he shelved it after it was impacting his fastball
shape. Great makeup; hard worker who should fit well in the Red
Sox pitching development program.
Note: This page will be updated
with a complete scouting report after the scouting team has seen
the player in regular season game action.
Links
Red Sox select Kyson Witherspoon with 1st round pick
(7.13.25)
Spring Training video (3.13.26) |
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