Kyson Witherspoon is MLB Pipeline’s No. 10-ranked prospect for the 2025 Draft. Here is everything you need to know about him:
FAST FACTS
MLB Pipeline ranking: No. 10
Position: RHP
Height/weight: 6-foot-2, 206 lbs.
Bats/throws: R/R
Age: 20 (Born Aug. 12, 2004)
School: Oklahoma
MLB PIPELINE SCOUTING GRADES (20-to-80 scale)
Fastball: 65
Curveball: 60
Slider: 60
Cutter: 60
Changeup: 45
Control: 50
Overall: 55
1. He has an inseparable twin
Growing up, Witherspoon and his twin brother, Malachi, did everything together. They played video games, watched cartoons, recited movie lines endlessly and played sports. That, of course, includes baseball. They’ve been teammates at the youth level and in high school, summer ball, junior college and Division I. They’re prepared for their paths to diverge for the first time, but that won’t break their bond.
Kyson Witherspoon has surpassed his brother as a Draft prospect, which is somewhat surprising because Malachi, also a starting pitcher, has already been drafted. He was selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 12th round in 2022 but did not sign. After joining forces – again – at a junior college in Florida, the two had offers from the likes of Georgia, Miami (Fla.), Nebraska and Oklahoma. They committed to the Sooners in July 2023.
2. He’s family first
Kyson, Malachi and their older sister, Kylei, were raised in Florida by a single mother. Kyson has often noted the sacrifices their mother, Meg, made to keep the twins involved in sports and other activities and expressed his desire to repay her by becoming a Major League pitcher. The twins have been so close that even Meg used to struggle to tell them apart. When they were kids, she wrapped bracelets of different colors around their wrist to ensure she didn’t mistake one twin for the other.
3. He wasn’t a high-level recruit
Witherspoon didn’t get much attention from high-level colleges while playing – with Malachi, of course – at Fletcher High School in Neptune Beach, Fla. In fact, at least one recruiting service didn’t even view him as a pitcher – Perfect Game rated him as the No. 428 shortstop in the U.S. Still, those around Witherspoon knew he had a future as a pitcher. Between his junior and senior years of high school, he dedicated himself to the weight room and added 20 pounds of muscle to his frame and 6 mph to his fastball.
“The weight room changed the game for them forever,” Fletcher coach Michael Grillo told OU Daily. “And they’re probably still not even done growing.”
4. He represented his country
Last summer, Witherspoon was selected to the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team. And it wouldn’t have been the Witherspoons if Malachi didn’t make it, too, so the twins got to don yet another uniform together. Kyson made the team after a 2024 season at OU in which he struck out 90 batters in 80 innings and held batters to a .228 average. But the best was yet to come.
5. He has a devastating fastball
Remember that uptick in Witherspoon’s fastball after his junior year of high school? Well, the fastball hasn’t stopped ticking. It sits in the mid-90s now, can touch 99 and will probably soon reach triple digits. It grades as a 65 on the 20-80 and combines with plus curveball, slider and cutter offerings to give Witherspoon one of the most well-rounded arsenals in the class. In 95 innings at OU this spring, he struck out 124, ranking sixth in Division I.