The 2025 MLB Draft will take place in July 2025. Andersen Pickard shares his analysis of Kyson Witherspoon, a right-handed pitcher from the University of Oklahoma.
Make sure to check out Andersen Pickard’s 2025 MLB Draft Board and his other MLB Draft Profiles.
Kyson Witherspoon, Right-Handed Pitcher, Oklahoma
| Player | Pos | School | Grade |
| Kyson Witherspoon | RHP | Oklahoma | 50 |
| Age | Height | Weight | Bats | Throws |
| 20 | 6-2 | 205 | R | R |
Scouting Grades for Kyson Witherspoon
Fastball: 60
Slider: 55
Changeup: 45
Control: 45
Overall: 50
Scouting Report
Witherspoon has battled through command issues to deliver solid production both at the University of Oklahoma and in the Cape Cod League. He gets good swing-and-miss stuff on his fastball and slider, and the slider sometimes turns into a cutter that gets the best whiff rates out of his entire repertoire.
Witherspoon is at his best when he can locate his fastball. In particular, he induces plenty of swings and misses when he can elevate his heater armside, working up and in to righties. He has also shown an ability to get plenty of ground balls when he locates his fastball lower middle or lower gloveside.
However, Witherspoon has shown some drastic issues with command, particularly during the 2024 NCAA season. When he misses the zone, he’s capable of missing by a lot, which makes it significantly harder for him to get batters to chase. Additionally, he often misses high, which can get him into some trouble. With this being said, the right-hander still had a very strong season at Oklahoma, cementing himself in their rotation with a 3.71 ERA, 10.1 K/9, and 4.5 BB/9. He was even better in limited action on the Cape, showing improved command and control with 10 strikeouts, zero walks, and just one earned run over nine innings of work.
Pitch-wise, the fastball is Witherspoon’s best offering because of its swing-and-miss potential, with the slider (which occasionally morphs into a cutter) not far behind for the same reason. His changeup still needs more development as it lacks effectiveness and he struggles to locate it, making it a subpar tertiary offering. However, if Witherspoon can develop his changeup into a strong third offering and carry his improved command from the Cape into the 2025 NCAA season, he could be one of the top college arms in the draft and a solid late first-rounder.
Main Image Credit: Olivia Raymond/For The Avalanche-Journal
