Canaan Elijah Smith-Njigba (born April 30, 1999) is an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to catch ...

who is a free agent. He has previously played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) for the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...

Amateur career

Smith-Njigba attended

Rockwall-Heath High School Rockwall-Heath High School is a public high school located in Heath, Texas, and is one of two high schools that serve the Rockwall Independent School District, the other being Rockwall High School. The school enrolls students from 9th to 12th g ...

Heath, Texas Heath is a city in Rockwall and Kaufman counties, Texas, United States. The population was 6,921 at the 2010 census, up from 4,149 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. History A proposition was placed on the Nov ...

, where he played

. He committed to play

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

at the

University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States. It is the Flagship campus, flagship campus of the University of Arkan ...

. During his senior year, he garnered attention after he was intentionally walked 32 times in 24 games, or a rate of 1.33 per game. After his senior season, he was selected by the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

in the fourth round of the

2017 Major League Baseball draft The 2017 Major League Baseball draft began on June 12, 2017. The draft assigned amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The first 36 picks, including the first round and compensatory picks, were broadcast on MLB Network on June 12, while the remai ...

Professional career

New York Yankees

After signing with the Yankees, Smith-Njigba made his professional debut with the

Rookie-level Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National L ...

Gulf Coast League Yankees The Florida Complex League Yankees are a Rookie-level affiliate of the New York Yankees, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team is composed mainly of players who are in their first year of professional baseball ...

, where he hit .289/.430/.422 with five home runs and 28 RBIs over 57 games. In 2018, he played with the

Staten Island Yankees The Staten Island Yankees were a minor league baseball team located in the New York City borough of Staten Island from 1999 to 2020. Nicknamed the "Baby Bombers", the Yankees were the Class A Short Season affiliate of the New York Yankees and pl ...

of the Low–A

New York–Penn League The New York–Penn League (NYPL) was a Minor League Baseball league that operated in the northeastern United States from 1939 to 2020. Classified as a Class A Short Season league, its season started in June, after major-league teams signed th ...

where he hit .191 with three home runs and 16 RBIs over 45 games, missing time due to injury. In 2019, he played for the

Charleston RiverDogs The Charleston RiverDogs are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League. They are located in Charleston, South Carolina, and are the Single-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. The RiverDogs' home stadium is Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park. Char ...

of the Single–A

South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its h ...

, with whom he earned All-Star honors. Over 124 games, he batted .307/.405/.465 with 11 home runs, 74 RBIs, and 16 stolen bases. He did not play in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

Pittsburgh Pirates

On January 24, 2021, the Yankees traded Smith-Njigba (alongside

Miguel Yajure Miguel Angel Yajure (born May 1, 1998) is a Venezuelan professional baseball pitcher for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees and ...

Roansy Contreras Roansy Contreras (born November 7, 1999) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher in the Baltimore Orioles organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Los Angeles Angels. Career New Yo ...

and Maikol Escotto) to the

in exchange for Jameson Taillon. He was assigned to the

Altoona Curve The Altoona Curve are a Minor League Baseball team based in Altoona, Pennsylvania, named after nearby Horseshoe Curve (but also alluding to the curveball, a type of pitch). The team plays in the Eastern League and is the Double-A affiliate of ...

of the Double-A Northeast for a majority of the 2021 season. He was placed on the

injured list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 season, it was known as the disabled list (DL). General guidelines ...

briefly at the end of July, but activated in early August. He was placed back on the injured list in mid-August with a thigh injury, but was activated one month later. Over 66 games, he hit .274/.398/.406 with six home runs, 40 RBI, and 13 stolen bases. Following the end of Altoona's season in mid-September, he was promoted to the

Indianapolis Indians The Indianapolis Indians are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and play their home games at Victory ...

of the

Triple-A East The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball (M ...

with whom he appeared in seven games. He was selected to play in the

Arizona Fall League The Arizona Fall League (AFL) is an off-season baseball league owned and operated by Major League Baseball (MLB) which operates during autumn in Arizona, United States, at six different baseball complexes. Arizona Fall League rosters are filled ...

for the

Peoria Javelinas The Peoria Javelinas are a baseball team based in Peoria, Arizona, that competes in the West Division of the Arizona Fall League. The team plays its home games at Peoria Sports Complex. The ballpark is also the spring training facility for the S ...

after the season. On November 19, 2021, the Pirates selected his contract and added him to their

40-man roster A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, an ...

, protecting him from the

Rule 5 draft The Rule 5 draft is a Major League Baseball (MLB) player draft that occurs each year in December, at the annual Winter Meeting of general managers. The Rule 5 draft aims to prevent teams from stockpiling too many young players on their minor lea ...

. He returned to the Indians to begin the 2022 season. On June 13, 2022, the Pirates promoted Smith-Njigba to the major leagues. He registered his first major league hit the next night while pinch-hitting and recorded a double off of

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...

relief pitcher

Giovanny Gallegos Giovanny Gallegos (; born August 14, 1991) is a Mexican professional baseball pitcher in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees and St. Louis Cardinals. Gallegos made ...

. He played in three games, going 1–for–5. On June 17, he was placed on the 60-day injured list with a wrist fracture. In 2023, Smith-Njigba played in 15 games for Pittsburgh, going 4–for–32 (.125) with no home runs, five RBI, and one stolen base. He was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must, within seven days, return the pla ...

by the Pirates on January 31, 2024. On February 7, 2024, Smith-Njigba was claimed off waivers by the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...

. Ten days later, on February 17, he was designated for assignment. On February 19, he returned to the Pirates on another waiver claim. Smith-Njigba was optioned to Triple–A Indianapolis to begin the 2024 season. However, he was designated for assignment following multiple roster moves on March 28. Smith-Njigba cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple–A Indianapolis on March 31. He made 54 appearances for Indianapolis, hitting .212/.344/.330 with two home runs, 18 RBI, and six stolen bases. Smith-Njigba was released by the Pirates organization on July 6.

Chicago White Sox

On August 7, 2024, Smith-Njigba signed a minor league contract with the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

organization. He hit .182 with one home run, six RBI, and one stolen base in 16 appearances for the Double-A

Birmingham Barons The Birmingham Barons are a Minor League Baseball team based in Birmingham, Alabama. The team, which plays in the Southern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox and plays at Regions Field in downtown Birmingham. The Baron ...

; he was later promoted to the Triple-A

Charlotte Knights The Charlotte Knights are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. They are located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and play their home games at Truist Field ...

, for whom he hit .261 with two RBI and three stolen bases across eight games. Smith-Njigba elected free agency following the season on November 4.

Personal life

Smith-Njigba is the older brother of

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Smith-Njigba's paternal grandparents are from

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered to the southeast by Liberia and by Guinea to the north. Sierra Leone's land area is . It has a tropical climate and envi ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith-Njigba, Canaan 1999 births Living people People from Heath, Texas Baseball players from Dallas Major League Baseball outfielders Pittsburgh Pirates players Gulf Coast Yankees players Staten Island Yankees players Charleston RiverDogs players Altoona Curve players Indianapolis Indians players American people of Sierra Leonean descent African-American baseball players Sportspeople of Sierra Leonean descent Peoria Javelinas players Baseball players from Rockwall County, Texas Baseball players from Kaufman County, Texas Birmingham Barons players Charlotte Knights players