This article was updated at 7:38 p.m. on Monday, June 13, 2022.
ST. LOUIS — It’s sort of 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 has also 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 that phone 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, three triples, one home run, 16 RBIs, 30 walks and a .417 on-base percentage during his recent on-base stretch. He also hit safely in eight of nine games this month, going 13 for 38 (.342) with three doubles, two triples and nine RBIs. His 28-game on-base streak from April 22-May 26 is tied with teammate Ji-Hwan Bae for the second-longest in the International League this season.
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 1/2 hours from Busch Stadium, Smith-Njigba and Park road in a van to St. Louis on Monday morning.
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, who was 7 for 12 over his past three games, was hitting .250 with a .739 OPS across 35 games. He’s been up with the big club for six games in 2022, going 3 for 14 (.214) with seven strikeouts.
A Dallas native, the Pirates acquired Smith-Njigba in the Jameson Taillon trade after he was a 2019 South Atlantic League All-Star, when he hit .307 with an .870 OPS in 124 games, accumulating 32 doubles, three triples, 11 home runs and 74 RBIs.
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, adding 11 doubles, six home runs and 40 RBIs.
Injuries limited Smith-Njigba, and he wound up playing 18 games with Peoria in the Arizona Fall League last year, hitting .298 and getting on base at a .452 clip.
Having a patient approach at the plate and getting on base is something the Pirates really like about Smith-Njigba, in addition to some gap-to-gap power that he’s been able to pull out of his left-handed swing.
“He has the ability to control at-bats,” manager Derek Shelton said. “That's really important, and it's something we want to see and hope to see translate at the major-league level.
“He's been playing really well over the last probably three weeks. It’s an opportunity that he deserved.”
Temperatures in St. Louis will be brutal over the next few days — consistently over 100 degrees. Smith-Njigba doesn’t care. He’s been working for this his entire life, including this season in Class AAA, where he’s had to remain patient.
“I definitely feel like I belong here,” Smith-Njigba said. “I’m ready to play. I’m ready to compete.”
And the heat?
“I’m from Texas. I’m used to this,” he said with a smile. “I played football. I had two-a-days in high heat. What do they say? If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen? I’m not worried about that. I’m happy my family gets to come watch me play. I’m happy to be here.”
Another move
About 20 minutes before first pitch, the Pirates announced that they had placed Duane Underwood Jr. on the COVID-19 injured list and selected the contract of catcher Jason Delay, who’s in St. Louis on the taxi squad.
Jason Mackey: jmackey@post-gazette.com and Twitter @JMackeyPG.
First Published: June 13, 2022, 5:27 p.m.
