Mississippi State switch pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje brilliant in first start

Every once in a while, baseball gives us a unicorn. Mike Trout, for example, or Shohei Ohtani. Players who can do what nobody else can. Players whose natural skill level is something that can’t be believed, even when it is seen. Anyone who has seen Bo Jackson play will verify this.

Now, Mississippi State is in possession of one of those unicorns. But this one may be truly one of a kind.

19-year-old freshman Jurrangelo Cijntje is a switch pitcher. Yes, you read that right. He pitches from both sides of the rubber.

The Pembroke Pines, Florida native was drafted in the 18th round of last year’s MLB draft by the Milwaukee Brewers. Opting to accept a scholarship to Mississippi State instead, his college career has gotten off to a solid footing.

In his first collegiate start, he faced the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks and managed to strike out seven batters while giving up one walk and one HBP in four scoreless innings. That performance was good enough to give him the win in the 14-3 Bulldogs victory.

Of his seven strikeouts, six came from the right side, and one from the left.

Naturally left-handed, he clocks 92 from the southpaw stance, but can turn that up to 97 from the right side.

It is too early to get very excited about Cijntje’s future in baseball, but he certainly has a rare gift. Switch pitchers are as rare as hen’s teeth, and even then they tend to have one dominant side, with the other arm being a bit of a junker. He seems to have touch and feel from both sides, which would put him in a vanishingly small circle.

Pat Venditte throws from both sides, but hasn’t pitched since 2020, and before him, Greg Harris threw from both sides back in 1995. Before that, you have to go back to the dead-ball era in the 19th century to find MLB switch pitchers.

For Cijntje, the development of his arsenal at Starkville may eventually include a focus on one arm or the other, but who knows. For Mississippi State, if they can keep him healthy, they could have a weapon like no other in college baseball.