BIOGRAPHY
Canaan Smith-Njigba was born April 30, 1999, in Dallas, Texas. He is an outfielder in the MLB.
After signing with the Yankees, Smith-Njigba made his professional debut with the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League Yankees, slashing .289/.430/.422 with five home runs and 28 RBIs over 57 games. In 2018, he played with the Staten Island Yankees of the Class A Short Season New York–Penn League 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 of the Class A South Atlantic League, 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.
On January 24, 2021, the Yankees traded Smith-Njigba (alongside Miguel Yajure, Roansy Contreras, and Maikol Escotto) to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for Jameson Taillon. He was assigned to the Altoona Curve of the Double-A Northeast for a majority of the 2021 season. He was placed on the injured list on July 27 and activated on August 5. He was placed back on the injured list on August 11 with a thigh injury and was activated one month later. Over 66 games, he hit .274/.398/.406 with six home runs, forty RBIs, and 13 stolen bases. Following the end of Altoona's season in mid-September, he was promoted to the Indianapolis Indians of the Triple-A East with whom he appeared in seven games. He was selected to play in the Arizona Fall League for the Peoria Javelinas after the season. On November 19, 2021, the Pirates selected his contract and added him to their 40-man roster.
