Canaan Smith-Njigba
Canaan Smith-Njigba
Position: OF
Height: 6’0”
Weight: 230 lbs
Bats/Throws: Left/Right
Born: 04/30/1999
High School: Rockwell Heath HS (Heath, TX)
Drafted: 4th Round, 122nd Overall, 2017 (Yankees)
How Acquired: Waiver Claim (from Mariners)
Bonus: $497,500
40-man Roster: No
Rule 5 Eligible: Yes
Minor League Free Agency: 2024
Options Left: 1
Overview
A high school quarterback, Smith-Njigba is athletic and has a very good eye at the plate. He’s a stocky player who’s strong and has good bat speed, but much of his career has been a wait for the power to show up. The patience is a quality he cultivated in high school, when opponents rarely pitched to him. He steps in the bucket on his swing, which may account for consistently bad numbers against LHPs. He hits the ball very hard, but the problem has been an extremely high groundball rate, which is why the power hasn’t shown up. He’s strictly a left fielder. He runs well enough under way — he’s even shown some base stealing ability — but he’s below average in the outfield, with a fringy arm. The Pirates acquired Smith-Njigba in the Jameson Taillon trade.
2017-20
Smith-Njigba spent 2017-18 with Yankees’ short-season affiliates, hitting well in the GCL but not in the New York-Penn League. In 2019, he went to low A and had a breakout season, batting 307/405/465. He had a very high walk rate and stole 16 bases in 20 tries. He didn’t play in the 2020 season, then in the following January the Yankees included him in the Jameson Taillon trade.
2021-23
In 2021, the Pirates pushed Smith-Njigba to Altoona, which was a pretty big jump. He showed excellent plate discipline there but didn’t hit for a lot of power, as he had an extremely high groundball rate. The Altoona ballpark seems to have played a role; he had a .690 OPS there and .823 on the road. He missed nearly half the season with leg injuries. The Pirates moved him up to Indianapolis after the AA season ended and he struggled in seven games there. He played left field almost exclusively. After the season, the Pirates added him to the 40-man roster.
In 2022, Smith-Njigba had another season disrupted by injury. Through mid-June, he played mostly in the outfield corners for Indianapolis, although he also started seven times in center. He hit well without breaking out, as he again didn’t show much power. He improved steadily and showed very good patience, although he also struck out a lot for a guy who hit only one home run. LHPs held him to a .594 OPS. The Pirates called him up in June and he got into three games, then went out for the year with a fractured wrist.
In 2023, Smith-Njigba had a big spring and made the opening day roster. He didn’t last long in the majors, though, batting just .125 in 15 games and striking out in exactly half his ABs. He spent the rest of the year at Indianapolis. He had a very solid year there, as the power started coming around. Smith-Njigba hit 280/366/473 with 15 home runs. He had a good walk rate but struck out in a little over a quarter of his plate appearances. He also stole 21 bases in 26 attempts. The Pirates did not call him up in September.
The Pirates designated Smith-Njigba for assignment shortly before spring training to create roster space for Aroldis Chapman. Seattle claimed him, but put him back on waivers less than two weeks later. With spring training having started, the Pirates were able to put some of their injured pitchers on the 60-day injured list, so they claimed Smith-Njigba back. They then outrighted him off the 40-man roster at the end of spring training to clear space.
Stats
Transactions
June 13, 2017: Drafted by the New York Yankees in the 4th round, 122nd overall pick; signed on June 17.
January 24, 2021: Traded by the New York Yankees with Miguel Yajure, Roansy Contreras and Maikol Escotto to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Jameson Taillon.
November 19, 2021: Contract purchased by the Pittsburgh Pirates.
February 7, 2024: Claimed off waivers from the Pittsburgh Pirates by the Seattle Mariners.
February 19, 2024: Claimed off waivers from the Seattle Mariners by the Pittsburgh Pirates.
March 30, 2024: Outrighted to AAA by the Pittsburgh Pirates.