As usual, Kyson Witherspoon was first, but eventually, like always, his twin brother Malachi followed.
Kyson, who was born just minutes before Malachi, was taken 15th overall by the Boston Red Sox during the 2025 MLB Draft on Sunday. Then, in the second round, Malachi went to the Detroit Tigers with the No. 62 pick.
The twins made up two-thirds of the Oklahoma Sooners' weekend starting rotation this past college baseball season and now have a chance to accomplish something that hasn't been done since another pair of Sooners. Kyson and Malachi could become the first set of twins to make the MLB after being drafted the same year since 1996, according to MLB.com. The last duo to do it was Ryan and Damon Minor, also from OU.
Malachi and Kyson Witherspoon taken same day in MLB Draft
Kyson and Malachi have taken the same route to this point. They both went to Northwest Florida State College out of Fletcher High School in Neptune Beach, Florida. Both were MLB Draft prospects even in high school, but at that point, Malachi was actually ranked above Kyson.
In 2024, the duo transferred to OU, where Kyson eventually took over as the Sooners' right-handed ace and emerged as one of the best pitchers in college baseball.
At the end of this past season, Kyson was named a First-Team All-American by Baseball America, D1Baseball, NCBWA and Perfect Game, and was a Second-Team All-American by ABCA. He was also a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award, which goes to the best player in college baseball.
Kyson was second in the SEC and No. 22 in the country with a 2.65 ERA in OU's first season in a new conference. His 124 strikeouts ranked sixth in the country and fifth in the SEC. He tallied a team-high 10 wins with a 10-4 record, which was third-most in the SEC and 11th in the nation. He topped the SEC with a 5.39 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Malachi, meanwhile, had a 5.09 ERA and 4-8 record as a weekend starter. He was projected to go between the third and fifth rounds before the Tigers jumped on him early in the second.
With Kyson and Malachi getting drafted, OU coach Skip Johnson has now had 29 pitchers taken in the MLB Draft since taking over the Sooners in 2018. Kyson was the fourth first-round pick under Johnson in eight seasons.
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