Minor League Baseball

Seattle Mariners First-Round Pick Jurrangelo Cijntje Shines in Minor League Debut

The former Mississippi State switch-pitcher showed why he was the Mariners top selection in his first start with the Everett AquaSox.
Teren Kowatsch|
Mississippi State pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje throws against Vanderbilt during an SEC Tournament game May 23 at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium.
Mississippi State pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje throws against Vanderbilt during an SEC Tournament game May 23 at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium. | Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

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Seattle Mariners

The Seattle Mariners selected one of the most intriguing prospects in years with their first pick in the 2024 MLB Draft.

The Mariners picked Mississippi State switch-pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje with the 15th overall selection. The Curaçao native is a natural left-hander but is able to touch the upper 90-mph range with his right arm, and mid-90s with his left. He also has unique secondary pitches with both hands.

The baseball world got their first look at Cijntje during Seattle's Spring Breakout game against the Cleveland Guardians on March 14. He threw two innings and struck out two batters, walked two and allowed one run (unearned) on two hits.

The Mariners were confident enough in Cijntje's abilities to start him with the High-A Everett AquaSox to begin 2025. And he rewarded that confidence in the first start of his minor league career Saturday.

In a road game against the Spokane Indians at Avista Field in Spokane, Wash., Cijntje started the game and threw four innings. He allowed one hit, walked two batters and struck out six to help lead Everett to an 8-0 win. He threw 58 pitches (36 strikes). His fastball with his right arm topped out at 101 mph.

All of Cijntje's strikeouts came with his right hand. Both his walks were from his left side, but he did also induce a groundout pitching as a southpaw.

Cijntje is ranked as Seattle's No. 9 prospect according to MLB Pipeline and No. 11 minor leaguer according to Baseball America. At his current pace, he'll likely be a top 100 player by the end of the year. If he continues to pitch well in the hitter-friendly environment of High-A, he could move up quickly.

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Teren Kowatsch
TEREN KOWATSCH

Teren Kowatsch is a staff writer for ''Minor League Baseball on SI'' and other "On SI'' baseball sites. He has been a writer for “On SI’’ for two years and is a graduate of the University of Idaho. You can follow him on Twitter @Teren_Kowatsch

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