Reds linked to ace-level arm in mock draft who could help build a terrifying rotation

In MLB.com’s latest mock draft, the Cincinnati Reds are going with a familiar formula. The team’s last three first-round picks, including the Competitive Balance Round, have been college right-handers. So why shake things up in 2025? If the Reds do take Oklahoma’s Kyson Witherspoon at No. 9, Cincinnati may be on its way to a dominant staff in the near future.

Witherspoon, a junior, has an electric fastball that helped him strike out 124 batters in 95 innings this season. He made strides in his control during his second year at Oklahoma, cutting his walks per nine from 4.50 to 2.18.

Just 20 years old, Witherspoon could continue to fill out and add velocity to his fastball, which already averages 97 mph. Adding such a pitcher to a Reds system already stacked with hard throwers could shift Cincinnati’s rotation from respected to downright scary.

If the Reds select Oklahoma pitcher Kyson Witherspoon, the future rotation will be stacked

Witherspoon could follow a similar path to fellow college draftees Rhett Lowder and Chase Burns. Barring injury, that would put Witherspoon in the majors in late 2026 or early 2027. The Reds would already be trotting out Hunter Greene’s 100-plus mph fastball, Chase Burns’ knee-buckling slider, and Rhett Lowder’s pinpoint accuracy. Nick Lodolo or Andrew Abbott could add some lefty flavor. Witherspoon could be fighting Chase Petty and Julian Aguiar for the fifth rotation spot. That’s a staff that dreams are made of.

If the Reds do draft Witherspoon (or Tennessee lefty Liam Doyle, who also may be on Cincinnati’s short list), the Reds’ wealth of pitching talent in the minors will grow. The Reds already have three right-handers among Baseball America’s Top 100. No other club can make that claim. Witherspoon (more so than Doyle) has the skills to join that group.

Still, there are only five or six spots for starters in a rotation, which means that the Reds will need to make some difficult decisions in the coming years. Amassing high-level pitching talent is not only a strategy toward building a dominant rotation; it could also be used as trade bait. If the Reds stay in striking distance of the playoffs come July, Witherspoon may also play a role in refilling a depleted farm system due to trades.

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