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The Detroit Tigers selected Malachi Witherspoon, a right-handed pitcher from the University of Oklahoma on Sunday, July 13, in the second round of the 2025 MLB Draft, with the No. 62 overall pick.
Witherspoon had a difficult path to the MLB draft. Raised by a single mother, Meg, with two other siblings, he and his twin brother, Kyson, have forged a path in baseball after playing hockey and gymnastics. Kyson was drafted No. 15 overall by the Boston Red Sox.
Malachi was the more touted prospect as the brothers began college at Oklahoma, and even received an over-slot offer following the 2022 draft, in which he was a 12th-round pick by the Arizona Diamondbacks. But with the Sooners, Kyson, undrafted in 2022, moved up the draft boards.
The 6-foot-3, 211-pound Malachi Witherspoon features a fastball peaking at 99 mph. But he struggled with control in the zone, according to scouts. His fastball in particular was well-hit at Oklahoma, suggesting he may need to remake its shape entirely to succeed in the big leagues. When he throws pitches such as his curveball with depth, he tends to have more success.
Witherspoon was the No. 121 prospect in this year’s draft, according to MLB Pipeline. The 20-year-old is the third second-round pick selected by Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris. In 2023, Harris selected second baseman Max Anderson at No. 45 overall from Nebraska. In 2024, he selected pitcher Owen Hall at No. 49 overall from Edmond North High School in Oklahoma.
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The Tigers earlier Sunday picked Jordan Yost, a shortstop from Sickles High School, Florida, with the No. 24 overall pick in the first round. The Tigers selected another high schooler in power-hitting catcher Michael Oliveto, with their second pick at No. 34 overall in the Competitive Balance Round A. They wrapped up Day 1 of the draft by selecting Arizona State left-hander Ben Jacobs in the third round, at No. 98 overall.
The No. 62 pick comes with a recommended bonus slot value of $1,451,200, though teams can exceed that to sign picks as long as they do not exceed their total bonus pool. If the Tigers sign the No. 62 pick for less than slot, those savings can be applied to other picks in the draft. The Tigers have $10,990,800 to spend on their 21 draft picks this year, the 17th-most in baseball. Teams are allowed to exceed the allotment for picks by 5% before paying a 75% fine on the overage. No MLB team has exceeded the 5% limit since the slots were created.
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Day 1 of the draft features the first three rounds, with Day 2 on Monday, July 14, featuring Rounds 4-20, beginning at 11:30 a.m. on MLB.com. The Tigers have 21 picks in total.