It's not how you start, but how you finish. To that end, Kyson Witherspoon is most certainly trending in the right direction.
MLB's No. 81 overall prospect turned in one of his most complete efforts of the season, twirling a professional-best six innings in High-A Greenville's 7-4 loss to visiting Asheville on Friday night at Fluor Field.
Witherspoon struck out seven and scattered five hits and a walk while tossing 80 pitches (52 strikes). It continued a continued upward trajectory for the right-hander, who has surrendered two or fewer runs in five of his past six starts, lowering his ERA more than two full runs in that span.
COMPLETE RED SOX PROSPECT COVERAGE
Coming off a career-high eight-strikeout effort in his previous outing last Friday, Witherspoon again found an early rhythm and ultimately rode it into the sixth inning for just the second time in his first 13 pro starts. An error and his lone walk kicked off the start for the 21-year-old, who escaped the opening frame unscathed and proceeded to retire seven of his next eight batters.
Boston's No. 3 prospect allowed his lone run in the fifth but left the game with a lead after picking up his final two punchouts in the sixth. After not fanning more than six batters in any of his first 11 appearances, the identical twin of Single-A Lakeland hurler Malachi Witherspoon (DET No. 9) has racked up 15 K's to just three walks in 11 innings across his past two starts.
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That Witherspoon is succeeding should come as little surprise to anyone who has followed his career. Boston's first-round selection (15th overall) in last year's Draft was a first-team All-American and a semifinalist for both the 2025 Golden Spikes Award and the Dick Howser Trophy after closing out a dominant two-year collegiate run at Oklahoma.
The Kansas City, Missouri, native posted a 2.65 ERA and struck out 124 in 95 innings in 2025 for the Sooners. Those numbers did not translate to the pro level early on, as Witherspoon got off to a rocky pro debut for the Drive. The 6-foot-2, 206-pounder allowed four or more runs in four of his first seven starts, ballooning his ERA to 7.18 following his May 12 outing.
Beginning with his outing on May 24 -- one run and six strikeouts across 4 1/3 innings -- he has played the part of a first-round talent, punctuating it with his latest performance.
Beginning with that outing against Frederick, Witherspoon sports a 2.64 ERA, a 1.14 WHIP and a 35/12 K/BB ratio in 30 2/3 innings and is holding opposing hitters to a .219 average.