Minor League Baseball

Baseball World Reacts to Seattle Mariners Switch-Pitcher After Spring Breakout Performance

Jurrangelo Cijntje, the M's first-round pick from 2024, made his professional debut on Friday night, taking the baseball world by storm.
Brady Farkas|
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred takes a photo with Jurrangelo Cijntje after being drafted by the Seattle Mariners with the 15th pick during the first round of the MLB Draft at Cowtown Coliseum in 2024.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred takes a photo with Jurrangelo Cijntje after being drafted by the Seattle Mariners with the 15th pick during the first round of the MLB Draft at Cowtown Coliseum in 2024. | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

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Seattle Mariners

Seattle Mariners prospect Jurrangelo Cijntje made his professional debut on Friday night in the Spring Breakout game as the Seattle Mariners' top prospects battled the Cleveland Guardians' top group.

Cijtnje, a first-round pick in 2024 out of Mississippi State, did not pitch after getting drafted last year, but he instantly took the baseball world by storm during his two-inning appearance.

Battling some nerves, and a defensive miscue behind him, Cijntje gave up one unearned run on two hits and two walks, but he also struck out two. The fascination with Cijntje stems from his ability to switch-pitch at an extremely high-level. He's in the low-to-mid 90s as a lefty and the upper 90s as a righty, and he's able to swtich seamlessly between the two.

Check out some of the reaction from social media, including from noted MLB researcher Sarah Langs.

Baseball is the BEST !!!

and how about the awesome MLB data and product teams that make sure this shows correctly on your box score and game summary whenever Jurrangelo Cijntje pitches

Cijntje is currently ranked as the No. 9 prospect in the Mariners organization, per MLB Pipeline. The current top of the M's system is dominated by position players, but Cijtnje and Ryan Sloan make up the next wave of pitchers, as both were drafted last season.

Cijntje once represented Curacao in the Little League World Series, drawing worldwide acclaim for his ability to switch-pitch.

It's just a question of how long it takes him to make that kind of impact at the major league level now.

Related MiLB Stories

M's MAKE MULTIPLE MOVES: The Mariners made several roster moves on Friday, including sending multiple spring training standouts to minor league camp. CLICK HERE:

KYLE TEEL RAKING: While it still seems unlikely that he makes the Opening Day roster, Chicago White Sox top prospect Kyle Teel is showing out this spring following a trade from the Red Sox. CLICK HERE:

AWARD HONOREES: The Toronto Blue Jays honored their 2024 organizational players of the year this week at spring training in Dunedin. CLICK HERE:

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is the senior writer for “Minor League Baseball on SI’’ and the host of “The Payoff Pitch’’ podcast, which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. Follow Brady on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady.

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