Jurrangelo Cijntje Stats & Scouting Report

Full name Jean Michael Cijntje
Born 05/31/2003 in Gravenhage, Netherlands
Profile Ht.: 5'11" / Wt.: 170 / Bats: S / Throws: S
School Mississippi State
Drafted in the 1st round (15th overall) by the Seattle Mariners in 2024 (signed for $4,880,900).

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School: Mississippi State
Commit/Drafted: Brewers ’22 (18)
Age At Draft: 21.1
BA Grade: 50/High
Tools: Fastball: 60. Slider: 55. Changeup: 50. Control: 50.

There have been a handful of players who are able to pitch with both arms over the years, but perhaps none with more legitimacy than Cijntje, who can touch 94 mph as both a righty and lefty. A convincing case can be made that he’s the most talented ambidextrous pitcher of all time, with a chance to supplant journeyman MLB reliever Pat Venditte. Cijntje is a Curacao native listed at 5-foot-11, 200 pounds who began to focus more on his righthanded pitching in 2024. That is his stronger side, even though he is a natural lefthander. He posted a 3.67 ERA in 16 starts and 90.2 innings with a 29.9% strikeout rate. His 7.9% walk rate was nearly halved from his 2023 mark. From the right side, Cijntje averaged 95 mph and touched 99, while mixing in a mid-80s slider that takes on a cutter-like shape at its top-end velocities near 90 and a firm, upper-80s changeup. From the left side, Cijntje averages around 91 mph and throws a slower, low-80s sweeping slider nearly half the time that he shows decent feel to land in the zone. During the 2024 season, he only worked as a southpaw in specific left-on-left matchups and threw an overwhelming majority of his pitches from the right side. Increased power and improved control has pushed Cijntje up into potential first-round range, and even if he continues to focus on his craft as a righty, the fact that he has two legitimate pitches from the left side makes him a fascinating prospect.

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Draft Prospects

School: Mississippi State Committed: Brewers ’22 (18)
Age At Draft: 21.1
There have been a handful of players who are able to pitch with both arms over the years, but perhaps none with more legitimacy than Cijntje, who sat around 94 mph and touched 99 as a righthander and sat at 91 and touched 97 as a lefthander with Mississippi State in 2023. There’s a reasonable case to be made that he’s one of the most talented ambidextrous pitchers ever, as even big league switch-pitcher Pat Venditte only threw in the 80s from both sides. The Curacao native pitched to an 8.10 ERA in 13 starts and 50 innings in 2023, with a 26.5% strikeout rate and 14.3% walk rate. He’s better as a righthander where he establishes his fastball for strikes more consistently and throws a low-80s slider and low-80s changeup. From the left side, his slider is a few ticks slower and he will also mix in a mid-70s curveball with bigger shape and more depth. While Cijntje will need to put together better performance in 2024, his unicorn status as a pitching prospect should make him intriguing regardless.
School: Champagnat Catholic HS, Hialeah, Fla. Committed/Drafted: Mississippi State
Age At Draft: 19.1
Cijntje is one of the more unique talents in the 2022 class, as a legitimate switch-pitcher who routinely works as a lefthander and righthander. A native of Curacao, Cijntje is a natural lefthander but after training himself to throw with his right hand as well, his non-natural arm has louder stuff. He gets his fastball up to 96 and sits in the low 90s from the right side, and pitches in the upper 80s and touches the low 90s from the left side. Being able to throw 90 mph with both hands puts Cijntje in a massively small circle of players, and he also has a slider around 80 mph from the right side that gives him an average secondary. He throws a slower, mid-70s curveball from the left side. Unlike many ambidextrous pitchers, Cijntje has real touch and feel with both arms and could be a legitimate two-way pitcher at Mississippi State if he makes it to campus. It’s not clear whether MLB teams would want him to continue pitching both ways in pro ball or instead focus on refining his ability as a righthander.