Patient Smith-Njigba is latest to get opportunity in outfield
ST. LOUIS — It’s ironic that one of Canaan Smith-Njigba’s best traits on a baseball field is his patience.
With a keen and discerning eye that has produced a .387 on-base percentage, the best among qualifiers at Class AAA Indianapolis and the reason he had reached base safely in 40 of his past 41 games, Smith-Njigba certainly knows how to work an at-bat.
Smith-Njigba also has had to remain patient as other outfielders got opportunities ahead of him — namely Jack Suwinski, Cal Mitchell and Travis Swaggerty. Instead of pouting or growing upset, Smith-Njigba knew his time would come.
The Pirates on Monday rewarded that patience by promoting Smith-Njigba (along with Hoy Park) from Class AAA Indianapolis for their series against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. When Smith-Njigba plays, it’ll be his MLB debut.
“I’ve seen a lot of these dudes who are here now get thatphone call,” Smith-Njigba said. “It was cool. They had their moment. I was happy to witness their moment because I know how hard they worked. But I’m happy to be with the team. This is my moment.”
Smith-Njigba, 23, was hitting .297 (43 for 145) with 12 doubles, 3 triples, 1 home run, 16 RBIs, 30 walks and a .417 onbase percentage during his recent on-base stretch. He also hit safely in 8 of 9 games this month, going 13 for 38 (.342) with 3 doubles, 2 triples and 9 RBIs. He had a 28-game onbase streak from April 22-May 26.
Class AAA Indianapolis manager Miguel Perez called Smith-Njigba into his office after Sunday’s game and broke the news. They chatted for 30 minutes about Smith-Njigba’s journey to this point. With Indianapolis about 3.5 hours from Busch Stadium, SmithNjigba and Park rode Monday morning in a van to St. Louis.
The notice was enough for about a dozen members of Smith-Njigba’s family and friends to attend, including his younger brother Jaxon, who’s a standout wide receiver at Ohio State, as well as his high school coach.
“A dream come true,” Smith-Njigba said. “It’s exciting. I’ve been working on this my whole life. To finally get the call, it’s something special.
Not only for me, but for my family, my friends back home and the coaches who have guided me through this journey.”
To make room on the roster for Smith-Njigba and Park, the team optioned outfielder Travis Swaggerty and pitcher Aaron Fletcher to Indianapolis.
Overall, Smith-Njigba was hitting .277 with a team-high .795 OPS in 52 games. He led the Indians in doubles (15) and had 33 walks compared to 52 strikeouts.
Park was with the big club for six games this season, going 3 for 14 (.214) with 7 strikeouts.
A Dallas native, the Pirates acquired SmithNjigba in the Jameson Taillon trade after he was a 2019 South Atlantic League AllStar. After the Pirates acquired him, Smith-Njigba spent the majority of 2021 with Class AA Altoona, where he hit .274 with an .804 OPS in 66 games 11 doubles, 6 home runs and 40 RBIs.
Another move
About 20 minutes before first pitch, the Pirates announced they had placed Duane Underwood Jr. on the COVID-19 injured list and selected the contract of catcher Jason Delay.