Top Two Seattle Mariners Draft Picks Sign Deals, Meet with Media
SEATTLE — It's been a tough last few days for the Seattle Mariners. The losses have piled up. Starting players have been hurt, a former All-Star was designated for assignment and four players were called up from Triple-A Tacoma on Monday and Tuesday.
With all of that going on, it was nice for the organization to have something happen on Tuesday that didn't involve someone getting cut or hurt. The Mariners' first-round 2024 draft pick Jurrangelo Cijntje and second-round pick Ryan Sloan were both in Seattle on Tuesday to officially sign their contracts. Cijntje is a switch-pitcher from Mississippi State and Sloan is a right-handed prospect drafted out of high school.
"Fun day — our draft picks were in today," Seattle manager Scott Servais said in a pregame interview Tuesday. "Our first rounder and second round pick were in which put things in perspective for me. I think of what the game's about and how exciting it is for young players to get opportunities. And those guys are just starting their journeys."
Pen to paper and a dream come true 🤩@_LooCijntje | @Ryan_Sloan17 pic.twitter.com/B79aBggfo6
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) July 23, 2024
On top of signing on the dotted line, Cijntje and Sloan received a tour of the city and got to have some conversations with the Mariners' major leaguers. They also got to shag some balls for batting practice.
"I think it's pretty awesome," Cijntje said Tuesday. "Especially watching them on TV, then for you to be on this field. I just saw Ichiro (Suzuki). I talked to him, shook his hand. It's pretty awesome just to be around and see how the game is. One day you'll be here, and that's pretty awesome. ... I love the city here."
Cijntje, who's quadlingual and was born in the Netherlands but grew up in Curaçao, had never been in the Pacific Northwest. He got to experience it with Sloan, who was in awe of his soon-to-be teammate's ability to pitch with both hands.
"It's actually kind of crazy," Sloan said. "The fact that he can throw with both arms. It's like — how do you even do that? I don't even want to know. But meeting him was super cool. ... He's very easy to talk to. Very down to earth. I like being around people that have the same kind of goals as me."
Both pitchers have incredible potential and project to be quality starters in the league if that upside is met. Cijntje's fastball clocks in at the mid-to-upper 90s (left and right-handed) with a unique slider and changeup for each arm, according to his scouting report on Baseball America. Cijntje has drawn comparisons to New York Yankees pitcher Marcus Stroman due to their similar statures and pitching profiles.
Sloan, listed at 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds at 18 years old, has a fastball that clocked in the upper 90s and with a mid-80s slider and an upper-80s changeup, according to Baseball America. Being that young with that kind of capability, there is no shortage of current hurlers to choose from and shape his game after. But he's more concerned with taking a little bit from everybody.
"I think a lot of guys will say one (pitcher they model their game after)," Sloan said. "But I like to take a lot of different things from people and try to make it into my own. So not just being exactly like one person. Because I think everyone's different. Everyone throws different. Everyone moves differently. So taking bits and pieces from everyone else I think is important."
Cijntje, nicknamed "Loo" (with a chain to match) is no stranger to traveling long ways in his baseball career. He said the team will send him down to rookie league in Arizona to get some workouts and throw a couple bullpens.
"(I'm excited) to get to know the other prospects," Cijntje said. "And the coaching too. Because they have a good program of developing pitchers."
Sloan will join Cijntje in Arizona. And based off potential and Settle's penchant for developing top-end pitchers, they might find their way back to Seattle sooner rather than later.
Related Stories on Seattle Mariners
NEW MARINERS PROSPECT EXCITED TO GET STARTED: The Seattle Mariners drafted Mississippi State pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje with the 15th pick in the first round of the MLB Draft on Sunday CLICK HERE
MARINERS CONTINUE TO BUILD: The Seattle Mariners took five pitchers, a catcher, a two-way players and an outfielder in rounds 3-through-10 of the 2024 MLB Draft on Monday. CLICK HERE
MARINERS ON PACE TO SIGN MAJORITY OF CLASS: The Seattle Mariners' Director of Amateur Scouting Scott Hunter said on July 16 that the team is on pace to sign the majority of their 2024 draft picks. CLICK HERE
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