Jurrangelo Cijntje
| Jurrangelo Cijntje | |
|---|---|
| Seattle Mariners | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: May 31, 2003 The Hague, Netherlands | |
Bats: Switch Throws: Switch |
Jean Michael "Jurrangelo" Cijntje (born May 31, 2003) is a Dutch-born Curaçaoan professional baseball pitcher in the Seattle Mariners organization. He is a switch pitcher, having the rare ability to pitch proficiently with both his right and left arms. He was drafted with the 15th overall pick in the 2024 Major League Baseball draft by the Mariners.[1]
Amateur career
[edit]Cijntje was born in the Netherlands and grew up primarily in Willemstad, Curaçao.[2] He was a member of the Willemstad Little League team that played in the 2016 Little League World Series.[3] Cijntje moved to Miami when he was 16 years old.[4] He enrolled at Champagnat Catholic School in Hialeah, Florida, where he was both a switch pitcher and switch hitter for the school baseball team. He committed to play college baseball at Mississippi State University at the start of his senior year.[5] He was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 18th round of the 2022 MLB draft, but he opted not to sign and enrolled at Mississippi State.[6]
Cijntje entered his freshman season with the Bulldogs baseball team as a mid-week starting pitcher.[7] In his first collegiate start against Louisiana–Monroe, he struck out seven batters while allowing one hit and one walk over four innings pitched.[8] He finished the season with a 3-5 win-loss record and 8.10 earned run average (ERA) in 14 games, 13 of which he started. He had 63 strikeouts in 50 innings pitched.[9]
In his sophomore season in 2024, Cijntje was named a second-team All American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association[10] and Perfect Game[11] and was named to the South All-Region first team by the American Baseball Coaches Association.[12] He finished the season with an 8-2 record and 3.67 ERA over 16 starts. He had 113 strikeouts in 90.2 innings pitched.[9]
Professional career
[edit]Cijntje was drafted by the Seattle Mariners with the 15th overall pick in the 2024 Major League Baseball Draft on July 14, 2024.[13] Cijntje signed a $4.88 million contract with the Mariners on July 16, 2024.[14]
Personal life
[edit]Cijntje's father, Mechangelo, played baseball professionally in the Netherlands as a catcher.[15][16] Cijntje is dominant left-handed.[17] As a child, his favorite baseball player was Andruw Jones, who is also Curaçaoan.[18]
References
[edit]- ^ DeRosa, Theo; Kramer, Daniel (July 14, 2024). "Mariners take switch-pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje with 15th pick". MLB.com. Archived from the original on July 15, 2024. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
- ^ Villa, Walter (March 29, 2022). "Switch-Pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje Is More Than A Draft Novelty". Baseball America. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
- ^ "Curacao hurler throws left and right handed against Seoul in Little League World Series". The Patriot-News. August 20, 2016. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
- ^ "Ambidextrous freshman pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje offers Mississippi State baseball rare chance to switch it up". The Commercial Dispatch. February 18, 2023. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
- ^ "A switch-pitcher out of Champagnat is possibly MLB Draft's most intriguing prospect". Miami Herald. July 5, 2022. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
- ^ McCalvy, Adam (July 19, 2022). "Crew drafts switch-pitching phenom Cijntje in 18th round". MLB.com. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
- ^ Krajisnik, Stefan (February 6, 2023). "Mississippi State baseball: Jurrangelo Cijntje only SEC switch pitcher". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
- ^ Gardner, Steve (February 23, 2023). "Mississippi State switch-pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje dazzles in first collegiate start". USA TODAY. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
- ^ a b "Jurrangelo Cijntje College Leagues Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-07-19.
- ^ "NCBWA announces 2024 Division I All-America Teams". ncbwa.com. Retrieved 2024-07-19.
- ^ "Collegiate All-Americans & Postseason Awards". Perfect Game. Retrieved 2024-07-19.
- ^ "2024 ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Div. I All-Region Teams Announced". American Baseball Coaches Association. June 11, 2024. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Ellingseen, Max. "Seattle Mariners Select RHP Jurrangelo Cijntje in the First Round of the 2024 MLB Draft". lookoutlanding.com. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
- ^ "Mariners Agree To Deal With First-Rounder Jurrangelo Cijntje". mlbtraderumors.com. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
- ^ Callis, Jim (June 15, 2022). "Is this pitching prospect a righty or a lefty? Yes". MLB.com. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
- ^ "Like hitting a tire with a nail-spiked baseball: Jurrangelo Cijntje and the mastery of switch-pitching". ESPN.com. 2024-04-19. Retrieved 2024-07-19.
- ^ Suggs, David (June 16, 2022). "Who is Jurrangelo Cjinte? Meet the 19-year old MLB hopeful who throws 90 mph with both hands". Sporting News. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
- ^ Lacques, Gabe. "Rare switch-pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje 'down to do everything' for Mariners after MLB draft". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
External links
[edit]- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference (Minors)
- Mississippi State Bulldogs bio