Jurrangelo Cijntje Offers World Of Possibilities To Mariners
With his first pitch at the Mariners’ Spring Breakout game, Jurrangelo Cijntje threw a 92 mph fastball with his left arm that Guardians second baseman Travis Bazzana hit for a ground out to shortstop.
Cijntje—pronounced SAYN-chuh—then switched to his right arm for the rest of his outing. He threw a fastball as hard as 98.9 mph.
As a rare switch-pitcher, Cijntje is the object of fascination around the league.
“Jurrangelo is amazing,” Mariners pitching coordinator Quinn Cleary said. “It’s now at the point where I see it every day, so I’m almost like numb to how crazy it is.”
Cijntje was born in the Netherlands, attended high school in Florida after growing up in Curacao and was drafted 15th overall by Seattle in 2024 after a standout sophomore season at Mississippi State. In 90.2 innings for the Bulldogs, he struck out nearly 30% of batters.
He didn’t pitch in the minors following the draft, so for many the Spring Breakout game was the first glimpse of Cijntje in professional ball. The organization, and his teammates, couldn’t wait.
“When spring training came, we had a group of new players come,” Cleary said. “They see him throw a bullpen, they see him switch hands in the glove, and they’re like, ‘Holy . . . ‘
“Like, this is the coolest thing they’ve ever seen.”
The majority of Cijntje’s reps will come as a righthander, but he’ll still get plenty of chances to throw lefty too. His upper-90s fastball, hard slider and changeup give him a higher ceiling from the right side. He throws about 92-93 mph from the left with a nice slider.
Cleary said the tentative plan for Cijntje is to make two outings a week early on. The first will be a start as a righty with hopefully an opportunity for him to throw lefthanded to a few batters, followed by a relief outing two or three days later as a lefty.
“Everyone can kind of see that the possibilities of him down the line are . . . endless,” Cleary said. “We really don’t know what that’s going to look like exactly, but . . . there are just so many different possibilities and so many different options.”
MARINADE
— Mariners 2023 first-round pick Tai Peete had a big day in the Spring Breakout. The center fielder collected three hits, including a two-run homer in the sixth inning against Guardians lefthander Matt Wilkinson.
— Catcher Harry Ford has had a big spring, hitting .421/.539/.632 with three stolen bases and a 1.170 OPS in 26 Cactus League plate appearances. Ford hit seven homers with 35 steals in 116 games for Double-A Arkansas last season and could be in line for a big league callup this season.
— Slick-fielding third baseman Ben Williamson also had a big spring for Seattle, hitting .375/.474/.500 with six hits and a .974 OPS in 15 Cactus League at-bats. Williamson also had a few dazzling defensive plays and could be in line for a callup this year if the Mariners need help at the uncertain third base position.
— Lazaro Montes showed off big power in the Cactus League with a pair of towering home runs to go along with his 1.200 OPS in 16 at-bats. Montes attracts plenty of attention at the plate due to his 6-foot-5 frame, and after a solid showing last season in High-A Everett he could quickly rise through Seattle’s system.
