Inside The Pinstripes

Could New York Yankees Select Switch-Pitcher In 2024 MLB Draft?

The New York Yankees could be the team to pull the trigger on a switch-pitcher in the next MLB draft.

Dylan Sanders

May 23, 2024; Hoover, AL, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje (50) walks off after a defensive half inning against the Vanderbilt Commodores during the SEC Baseball Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium.
May 23, 2024; Hoover, AL, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje (50) walks off after a defensive half inning against the Vanderbilt Commodores during the SEC Baseball Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium. / Vasha Hunt-USA TODAY Sports
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The New York Yankees need to focus on adding pitching prospects in the 2024 MLB draft and they could be the ideal home for one of baseball's more intriguing players.

In a recent mock draft from Jim Callis of MLB, he had New York selecting switch-pitching Jurrangelo Cijintje out of Mississippi State.

In 90.2 innings of work as a starter with the Bulldogs this season, Cijintje had a 3.67 ERA while batters hit .211 against him.

As hard as it is to be a great pitcher with one hand, the unique player has a chance to actually be solid with both.

It's not something that happens very often. Fans may remember the name Pat Venditte, he was the only player in modern baseball history to pitch regularly from both sides.

In 72.1 innings of work across five years, he had a 4.73 ERA. He was very successful against left-handed batters when pitching from the left side, but was just ok or down right bad when it came to any other matchups.

It ended up mostly just being a fun gimmick for a couple of years, but he never really stuck as a major contributor.

Cijintje has been making headlines since he was just a child, pitching in the Little League World Series.

Though he was a naturally born left-handed pitcher, he has a bit more strength out of the right hand.

In an interview with Matt Monagan of MLB earlier this year, he stated that he could hit 99 MPH as a righty while also being able to hit 95 MPH as a lefty. If he can develop to hit those numbers consistently on each side while maintaining starting agility, there is a chance that he can grow to be a great.

The Milwaukee Brewers were the first professional team to take the chance on the Netherlands native. They took him in the 18th round of the 2022 draft, but he decided to go to Mississippi State to continue his development.

It worked out well as he showed great growth over his two seasons in college, improving on pretty much everything drastically from year to year.

One of his strengths as a pitcher has always striking batters out, he averaged just over 11 per nine innings in each of his two campaigns.

If the Yankees were to take him with the No. 26 overall selection, his slot value would be around $3.3 million.

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Dylan Sanders
DYLAN SANDERS

Dylan Sanders graduated from Louisiana State University with a degree from the Manship School of Mass Communication in 2023. He was born in raised in Baton Rouge, LA but has also lived in Buffalo, NY. Though he is a recent graduate, he has been writing about sports since he was in high school, covering different sports from baseball to football. While in college, he wrote for the school paper The Reveille and for 247Sports. He was able cover championships in football, baseball and women's basketball during his time at LSU. He has also spent a few years covering the NFL draft and every day activities of the New Orleans Saints. He is a Senior Writer at Inside the Marlins and will also be found across Sports Illustrated's baseball sites as a contributing writer. You can follow him on Twitter or Instagram @dillysanders