SEATTLE -- The Mariners went bold with the first-round selection in the 2024 MLB Draft on Sunday, taking switch-pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje out of Mississippi State University with their top pick at No. 15 overall.
Yes, you read that right.
And with their second-round pick, they selected high-school right-hander Ryan Sloan, at No. 55 overall.
Cijntje is ranked as MLB Pipeline’s No. 25 prospect in this year’s class and becomes the latest -- and by far the most intriguing -- pitcher to join an organization that has been defined by its arms since president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto took over after the 2015 season.
And the Mariners intend to let him continue on his ambidextrous path.
“We're going to let Jurrangelo make that decision to start,” Mariners director of amateur scouting Scott Hunter said. “That's the fun part of it. ... There is a huge advantage if he does do both. I don't think it will be a true left today, right tomorrow. It's more about maybe picking matchups and seeing how it works in the Minor Leagues. But it is definitely an option that's on the table to keep it going.”
Not only is Cijntje an extremely rare switch-pitcher, but he’s legitimately effective with both arms. He’s hit 95 mph with his left arm and 99 mph with his right, giving him the ability to miss bats with either. He racked up 113 strikeouts in 90 2/3 innings as a sophomore at Mississippi State, with a 3.67 ERA in 2024.
Cijntje threw left-handed to lefty batters and right-handed to righty batters at Mississippi State, though he began throwing right-handed against lefties more often in 2024. Basically, he picks his spots.
“He actually put down the left-handed glove for a little bit, and the last four or five starts of the year were pretty electric,” Hunter said. “And we just kept looking at what he's done, where we think he's going to continue to grow and be. ... Then by the end of it, as a room, we started looking at all the pieces of information and really decided this is a great fit for what our pitching program can do.”
As for how Cijntje can leverage his unique skill, MLB rules state that “a pitcher must visually indicate with which hand he will use to pitch prior to the start of the plate appearance,” and that “barring injury, he is not permitted to pitch with the other hand until the batter is retired, becomes a baserunner or is removed for a pinch-hitter.” Moreover, “the pitcher is allowed to pitch with the opposite hand mid-plate appearance should he incur an injury with the other, but he is then barred from pitching with the injured hand for the rest of the game.”
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The Curaçao native is a natural lefty who trained as a child to throw right-handed so he could be a catcher like his father, Mechangelo, a professional ballplayer in the Netherlands. But Cijntje’s right arm soon caught up to -- and eventually surpassed -- his left.
“I always wanted to throw from the right side, especially like mocking my dad,” Cijntje said. “So that's why I wanted to throw from the right side.”
As for how his stuff profiles from each side, Cijntje throws his heater harder from his right arm but also has a mid-80s slider that can reach the low 90s and a slightly harder changeup. As a lefty, Cijntje’s lower-octane fastball is accompanied by a breaking ball in the low 80s with a lot of sweep. Cijntje stands just 5-foot-11 but has a strong build, working hard to develop his lower body to support his unique skills.
According to MLB Pipeline’s Draft evaluators, Cijntje profiles as a starter in the mold of Marcus Stroman as a righty and as a reliever as a lefty. Cijntje himself says that he models his game after Stroman.
“More power from the right side,” Hunter said, “but it's funny to say 'more power' when he's 97-98 from the right side and he throws up to 93 from the left side. Probably a little crisper on the right-hand side, just because he uses it more.”
Cijntje was drafted in 2022 by the Brewers out of high school as a shortstop, a position he played in high school in Florida. But he turned down Milwaukee’s offer and chose to pitch at Mississippi State, struggling as a freshman with an 8.10 ERA in 50 innings before improving considerably as a sophomore. He completed seven innings in three of his final five starts of 2024, including an NCAA regional outing against Virginia.
Second-round pick (No. 55 overall): RHP Ryan Sloan
Hunter said that the Mariners had considered Sloan with their first-round pick before he fell to them in the second. Sloan is a Wake Forest commitment, and Hunter indicated that the club intends to go over-slot value ($1,641,800) to work out an agreement.
“To watch him slip a little bit, we just kept staying in touch with the agent,” Hunter said. “We’re going to have to get a little creative with our bonus pool, but it’s definitely a pick worth going for.”
Sloan, 18, went 12-7 with a 1.57 ERA across 154 2/3 innings, with 43 walks and 266 strikeouts during his York High School (Elmhurst, Ill.) career. This spring, he surrendered just two earned runs in 46 2/3 innings (0.39 ERA), with 90 strikeouts and five walks -- good enough to earn the 2024 Gatorade Illinois Player of the Year.