Pearson and the Sox put to rest any notions of their reluctance to select pitchers on Sunday night. The team used its first-round pick to nab 20-year-old Oklahoma righthander Kyson Witherspoon, viewed by some as the top college righthander in this year’s class. At No. 15 overall, Witherspoon became the highest pick for the Sox of a college righthander, surpassing the No. 19 selections of Roger Clemens (1983) and Matt Barnes (2011).
Witherspoon had one of the liveliest arms in the draft, working with a fastball that sits at 96 miles per hour and tops out at 99 as the foundation of a five-pitch mix. As a junior, he was one of the most dominant college pitchers in the country, going 10-4 with a 2.65 ERA, 32 percent strikeout rate, and 6 percent walk rate for the Sooners.
“He was definitely someone we were targeting,” said Pearson. “[He’s] a strike thrower with high velo and interesting secondary shapes.”
As impressive as Witherspoon was, he’s in many ways just starting his life on the mound. The Florida native (whose twin brother, Malachi, was drafted by the Tigers out of Oklahoma in the second round) initially enrolled as a two-way player at Northwest Florida State College.
He transferred to Oklahoma for his sophomore and junior years. There, he shifted to a full-time role as a pitcher, where his rapid improvement underscored his potential to develop rapidly.
“I still feel like I have a ways to go,” said Witherspoon. “I think [the Red Sox are] a program where I’ll do really well.”
Witherspoon missed bats with a full array of weapons. His fastball elicited whiffs at a 22 percent rate, and his 12-to-6 curveball — particularly effective against lefties — resulted in whiffs on more than half of swings. While he can attack the top and bottom of the zone with those offerings as well as a slider with vertical break, Witherspoon can also work to both sides of the plate with an 89-91-m.ph. cutter (36 percent whiff) and seldom-used but promising changeup (46 percent).
“I’ve got five pitches now, which is pretty cool,” said Witherspoon. “I hope to keep adding.”
Atop that diverse mix, the 6-foot-2-inch hurler generates deception with a compact delivery that is reminiscent of Lucas Giolito.
This marked the fourth time the Sox have had the No. 15 pick. Previously, they used that position to select Hall of Famer Jim Rice (1971) and two players (first baseman Otis Foster in 1975, pitcher Andy Yount in 1995) who never reached the big leagues.
The Sox followed the pick of Witherspoon by grabbing another college righthander in the Competitive Balance round with the No. 33 overall pick (acquired from the Brewers for Quinn Priester): Marcus Phillips out of the University of Tennessee. Phillips is a huge (6-4, 245 pounds) pitcher who, like Witherspoon, had been a two-way player in junior college before transferring to the Southeastern Conference and moving full-time to the mound.
“I think you see that athleticism translate into their deliveries,” Pearson said. “I think that’s really where the payoff is. They’re able to get into unique positions which allows them to be really good.”
Phillips has a fastball that has touched 101, and also features a sharp, hard slider. In his first year as a starter in 2025, Phillips — who puzzles batters with a low arm slot — went 4-5 with a 3.90 ERA and 27 percent strikeout rate. One evaluator likened him to a righthander version of Red Sox 2024 draftee Brandon Clarke.
At the end of the second round, with the No. 75 pick (compensation for the departure of free agent Nick Pivetta), the Sox selected infielder Henry Godbout from the University of Virginia. Godbout — who trains with former Sox first-round pick Kyle Teel — hit .309/.397/.497 with eight homers as a junior.
He puts the ball in play (8 percent strikeout rate) and shoots line drives all over the field with modest power, but the Sox are hopeful they can help him tap into more power and that he can play second and short.
“[He has] really good instincts, really good action,” said Pearson. “He’s able to cover a lot of ground and has worked both sides of the bag. We’re betting on the athlete here.”
The Sox finished Day 1 by drafting another college righthander, Anthony Eyanson from LSU, with their third-round selection atNo. 87. Eyanson — who transferred from UC San Diego for his junior year — went 12-2 with a 3.00 ERA for the national champions, posting a 34 percent strikeout rate and 8 percent walk rate.
Eyanson showed the ability to command pitches. He works with a low-90s fastball that can touch 98, but also has a bat-dodging slider with sharp vertical break, a bigger curveball that he uses against lefties, and a changeup.
“[His competitiveness] definitely stood out,” said Pearson. “To do it at a school like LSU, where that’s a packed house every night, you’ve got to be tough and enjoy that craziness in the moment. I think that you have to have players like that if you want to pitch at Fenway Park.”
The draft began with a surprise and then a shock, as Oklahoma high school shortstop Eli Willits went to the Nationals with the No. 1 overall pick, followed by UC Santa Barbara righthander Tyler Bremner — who seemed to have a chance to be on the board at No. 15 — going to the Angels at No. 2.
LSU lefty Kade Anderson and Oklahoma high school shortstop Ethan Holliday — top considerations for the No. 1 pick — then went to the Mariners and Rockies with picks 3 and 4.
Day 1 of the draft encompassed the first three rounds. The draft will conclude on Monday with Rounds 4-20.
Alex Speier can be reached at alex.speier@globe.com. Follow him @alexspeier.
