Who is Jurrangelo Cijntje? Exploring the ambidextrous pitcher picked by the Mariners in the 2024 MLB Draft

The Seattle Mariners picked Mississippi State pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje with their No. 15 selection in the opening round of the 2024 MLB Draft, which is underway. Cijintje is an ambidextrous pitcher who can pitch from both hands effectively.

This selection was a shift in a trend by the Mariners who are primarily known to draft hitters in the first round over the last few years. The 21 year old went 8-2 this season with a 3.67 ERA, 111 strikeouts and 30 walks in 90.2 innings.

MLB.com listed him as the No. 25 draft prospect, while Baseball America ranked him at No. 24.

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Tracing Jurrangelo Cijntje's early baseball journey

The Mariners' 15th overall pick's baseball journey started at six when he used to throw right-handed and follow in his father's footsteps. His father, Mechangelo, played professional baseball in the Netherlands.

Hailing from The Hague, Netherlands, Jurrangelo Cijntje grew up in Willemstad, Curaçao. As a member of the Willemstad Little League team, he played in the 2016 Little League World Series. At 16, he relocated to Miami and enrolled in the Champagnat Catholic School in Hialeah, Florida.

Out of high school, he was drafted in the 18th round of the 2022 MLB Draft but instead opted to play college baseball for Mississippi State University.

“Two years ago, I was taken in the 18th round,” he said. “Today it was first round. So I think that it helped me to go to college.”

As a freshman in 2023, Cijntje was 3-5 with an 8.10 ERA. However, he had a stellar season this year, earning him a spot on the second-team All-American.

“He’s probably a little crisper on the right-hand side, just because he uses it more than left-handed,” Scott Hunter, Mariners senior director of amateur scouting said.

“But I don’t think I’ve ever seen in my lifetime in scouting, let alone as a player, where someone can just pick up a baseball in between an inning, and go all right, ‘I’ll throw 93 miles per hour now with my left hand,’ and he can do that.”

Jurrangelo Cijntje is naturally lefty but can also throw right-handed and would like to pitch with both hands once he enters the majors. His lefty pitches can reach 93 mph with the slider as his primary strikeout pitch.

With his right arm, he can throw a 96-97 mph heater to go along with his pitching arsenal that has a sinker and a changeup.