A switch-pitcher out of Champagnat is possibly MLB Draft’s most intriguing prospect
About three weeks ago, Jurrangelo Cijntje had the opportunity to showcase his rare talent on a national level.
The Hialeah Champagnat alumnus was pitching in the MLB Draft Combine in San Diego and struck out five fellow top draft prospects during his time on the mound.
Three of those strikeouts came with him pitching right handed. The other two came with his natural left hand.
Cijntje, 19, is a rare switch pitcher, and his ability effectively pitch from both sides, something only done at the MLB level on a regular basis by former reliever Pat Venditte. Despite being a bit undersized (5-10, 167 pounds), it makes him an intriguing prospect when it comes to the upcoming three-day MLB Draft that starts July 17.
Baseball America has Cijntje listed as the No. 257 overall prospect for this year’s class, which projects to being a second-day draft pick.
He is one of three prep players from Miami-Dade County ranked among BA’s top 500, joining Westminster Christian’s Sal Stewart (No. 61) and Miami Springs’ Jason Torres (No. 392).
“His stuff is louder from the right side, with a fastball that has been into the mid 90s and up to 96 but he’s also gotten into the lower 90s with his left hand, though he mostly pitches in the upper 80s from that side,” reads Baseball America’s scouting report of Cijntje, who is committed to Mississippi State. “He’s a smaller pitcher at just 5-foot-10, 167 pounds, but has surprisingly good feel to pitch from both sides of the plate.”
Here are five things to know about Cijntje:
1.) He could become the highest — and final — player to be drafted out of Champagnat: With Champagnat closing after 54 years, Cijntje is in line to be the final player to come out of the school to be selected in the MLB Draft.
Three Lions alumni have previously heard their names called. Lester Contreras was first as a 46th-round selection in 2003. Luis Exposito was a 31st-round pick in 2005 and made his MLB debut in 2012 when he played nine games for the Baltimore Orioles. He remains the only player to come out of Champagnat to be a big leaguer. Most recently, Kaylan Nicasia was a 16th-round pick by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2021.
Cijntje would blow past all three of his fellow Champagnat alums if he is picked in the top-10 rounds as projected.
He started playing at Champagnat as a sophomore during the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season. Over three high school seasons, he struck out 172 batters while walking just 31 while compiling a 2.23 ERA (22 earned runs in 88 2/3 innings).
2.) His baseball journey began when he was 6 years old: As the story goes, Cijntje started playing baseball shortly after his family moved from the Netherlands where he was born to Curacao. One day, his father Mechangelo, who played professionally in the Netherlands, gave him a baseball with a nail in it to throw at a tire, so that the ball would stick to the tire if thrown correctly — a drill that worked on both Cijntje’s arm strength and accuracy at the same time. Cijntje would alternate which arm he threw with on any given rep.
His favorite left-handed pitcher is Clayton Kershaw and his favorite right-handed pitcher is Marcus Stroman.
3.) He showcased his dual-handedness in the Little League World Series: Cijntje played for Curacao in the 2016 Little League World Series, with his team going 1-2 in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
4.) He was also a switch-hitter and shortstop in high school: Like pitching, he’s a natural hitting from the left side, but Cijntje began switch-hitting when he was 8.
At Champagnat, Cijintje he had a .304 batting average (45 for 148) with 14 doubles, three triples, one home run, 31 RBI and 25 runs scored.
In an ideal scenario, Cijntje said he would like to continue to hit and pitch, although pitching is his clear path to professional baseball at this point.
5.) He speaks four languages: Cijntje is fluent in English, Spanish, Dutch and Papiamento (a Portugese-based creole language spoken in the Dutch Caribbean).
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