Cardinals’ switch-pitching phenom Jurrangelo Cijntje shows off rare talent in season debut

Cardinals’ switch-pitching phenom Jurrangelo Cijntje shows off rare talent in season debut originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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Jurrangelo Cijntje took the mound for his minor league season debut on Friday, and it was his first chance to pitch a regular season game in the St. Louis Cardinals‘ organization.

He arrived in the offseason from the Seattle Mariners in the trade for Brendan Donovan, and he’s opened this season at Double-A Springfield.

So far, so good for the switch pitcher.

Cijntje’s stats on Friday were phenomenal:

• 5.2 innings
• 1 hit allowed
• 0 runs allowed
• 2 walks allowed
• 7 strikeouts

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Cijntje induced 11 swings-and-misses, according to MLB Pipeline.

As for the switch-pitching: Cijntje pitched right-handed to all but one batter.

Jurrangelo Cijntje’s first official start with the @Cardinals is a certified 💎

5 2/3 IP
1 H
0 R
2 BB
7 K

MLB’s No. 85 prospect picks up 11 swings-and-misses for the Double-A @Sgf_Cardinals and pitches to one batter left-handed: pic.twitter.com/AVc8uFU8jz

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) April 4, 2026

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He’s got more explosive stuff from the right side, and that’s generally believed to be his best path to the big leagues.

The Cardinals likely don’t want to reduce his rare skill entirely, not this early in his development, and so they’ll likely let him keep throwing lefty on occasion, too.

If Cijntje makes the major leagues and is effective, the Cardinals won’t care all that much which side he ends up throwing from, whether it’s one or the other or both.

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