BOSTON, MA — The Boston Red Sox selected right-handed pitcher Kyson Witherspoon out of the University of Oklahoma with their first-round pick (15th overall) in the 2025 MLB First-Year Player Draft. The club also selected right-handed pitcher Marcus Phillips out of the University of Tennessee with a first-round competitive balance pick (33rd overall), infielder Henry Godbout out of the University of Virginia with a second-round compensation pick (75th overall), and right-handed pitcher Anthony Eyanson out of Louisiana State University (LSU) with their third-round pick (87th overall).
Witherspoon, 20, was ranked among the top 10 prospects in this year's draft by Baseball America (No. 7) and MLB.com (No. 10). Named a 2025 First Team All-American by Baseball America, Perfect Game, D1Baseball, and the NCBWA, the right-hander went 10-4 with a 2.65 ERA (28 ER/95.0 IP), 124 strikeouts, and a 1.01 WHIP. He was named a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award and the Dick Howser Trophy as the most outstanding player in college baseball, and he earned SEC First Team All-Conference honors.
The Kansas City, Missouri native is a graduate of Duncan U. Fletcher High School (FL), where he was ranked as a Top 500 prospect in the country according to Perfect Game. Witherspoon appeared in two games for the Chatham Anglers of the Cape Cod Baseball League in 2024 and was selected to play on the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team that same year. He began his collegiate career at Northwest Florida State College (2023), where he appeared in 17 games for the Raiders. His twin brother, Malachi, was a member of his teams the past three collegiate seasons and was selected tonight by the Detroit Tigers in the second round (62nd overall).
Phillips, 20, a 2024 Men's College World Series Champion, posted a 3.90 ERA (36 ER/83.0 IP) with 98 strikeouts across 17 starts for the Volunteers in 2025, ranking second on the team in ERA, innings pitched, and WHIP (1.13). The Sioux Falls, South Dakota native spent 2023 at Iowa Western Community College and is a graduate of Roosevelt High School (SD), where he was named a 2022 Perfect Game Central All-Region selection. His father, Steve, played college football and baseball at the University of Kentucky and played five years in the New York Yankees organization (1991-95) before coaching in the Miami Marlins organization (2006-09).