Over at ESPN, Kiley McDaniel dropped his latest mock draft, and he has the Braves selecting probably the most intriguing prospect in the entire 2024 class, Mississippi State switch-handed pitcher, Jurrangelo Cijntje.
24. Atlanta Braves
Jurrangelo Cijntje, RHP/LHP, Mississippi State
This is seen as the floor for the switch–pitching phenom Cijntje. King, Doughty, O’Ferrall, Waldschmidt and Benge are other common connections here.
McDaniel didn’t go into much detail on Cijnte, so I will provide some information.
Jurrangelo Cijntje was drafted in the 18th round of the 2022 MLB Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers but opted to forgo the opportunity to play professionally and attend Mississippi State, which turned out to be a wise decision, as he’s now projected to go in the first round.
In 2023, Cijntje was a freshman for the Bulldogs, and his unique ability to throw from both sides was not fooling anybody. He posted a 3-5 record with an ERA north of 8.00, but the 2024 season was a much better representation of his ability, posting a 3.67 ERA over 90.2 innings with over 11 strikeouts per nine innings as the ace of the Mississippi State staff.
Now, to the actual stuff. Like many switch hitters, Jurrangelo Cijntje is much stronger from one side than the other. He mostly pitched from the right side at Mississippi State, where his fastball tops out near 100 MPH that he pairs with a slider and changeup. However, he’s no slouch from the left side and could certainly cause some problems for left-handed bats with a low-90s fastball and sweeper.
The arm alone from the right side is enough to get Jurrangelo Cijntje drafted in the first few rounds, but scouts believe he has a legitimate shot and pitching from both sides at the highest level. If he were the pick for the Braves on July 14th, I couldn’t think of a more exciting prospect to keep tabs on as he comes up through the farm system.
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Photo: Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire
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