Cardinals' unicorn prospect just showed his true colors in career outing

Among all the talents the St. Louis Cardinals have coming up through their system, Jurrangelo Cijntje may be the most intriguing—and he’s been on an absolute HEATER. 

Cijntje, 23, was acquired from the Mariners in the Brendan Donovan trade. His calling card is ambidexterity. The dual-handed hurler can throw with both arms at a high level. But for all the talent he has in both arms, he’s still struggled. 

This season, Cijntje has a 5.58 ERA in 98.1 innings. Furthermore, he holds a lackluster WHIP of 1.46 and has surrendered 15 home runs. 

Cijntje has specifically struggled with ball four, which has followed him throughout his development. And then, with runners on base, the long ball has come back to bite him. 

Thankfully, his stuff is undeniable, and he proved that in his latest outing. 

The Cardinals got a glimpse at the real Jurrangelo Cijntje in his latest outing 

In Cijntje’s most recent outing, he outright dominated opposing batters. 

His final line of 6.1 innings, two hits, one earned run, one walk, and 11 Ks is by far his best outing as a Cardinal. 

This season has been full of troublesome results for the Cardinals’ #12 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline. However, this recent outing showed he can dominate the strike zone when he’s in it and that he’ll rack up whiffs even if he challenges hitters. 

That kind of production is ace-level. Solid pitchers can locate. Serviceable big leaguers throw hard and/or have good stuff. Elite arms can do both. 

When Cijntje is at his best, he does both. He commands the strike zone like a quality-start general, and takes down opposing batters in tandem. 

That’s real upside—the kind of upside that the Cardinals have been without for far too long. Frontline starters take over games consistently, but arms with high ceilings, even if they're inconsistent, can do so for spurts. 

Cijntje comes in at number 12 on MLB Pipeline’s rankings for Cardinal prospects, and that’s after the updated standings that include the newly drafted Trevor Condon (STL #6), Tegan Kuhns (STL #10), and more. 

There are no promises on any minor leaguer. Prospects are a hypothesis long before they become fact. There’s a literal science to this. The one variable that’s controlled is that the kid can throw. He’s not quite a pitcher yet, but the arm talent is undeniable, and fans should be excited for what’s to come. 

Cijntje’s ETA, according to MLB Pipeline, is 2026. The likelihood of that coming to fruition is next to zero, but it gives fans something to dream on heading into next year. 

Could Cijntje be a Cardinal by next season? If he keeps pitching like he just did, it’ll be hard to stop him. 

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