Smith-Njigba Waiting For Second Chance With Pirates

West of Pittsburgh, at Triple-A Indianapolis, Canaan Smith-Njigba is learning that patience indeed is a virtue. Ten weeks back, at the Pittsburgh Pirates spring camp in Bradenton, Smith-Njigba, by all accounts, was a very happy young man.

After the final exhibition game on the Grapefruit League schedule, it appeared that the native of Rockwell, Texas was informed that he had made the club s MLB roster. Off to Cincinnati Smith-Njigba went with his teammates for the start of what he was hoping for was a 162-game schedule.

Shortly before the Pirates entertained the Minnesota Twins at LECOM Park on March 28, Smith-Njigba, with all of three MLB game appearances during his rookie season in 2022, sat quietly at his locker. With a few teammates in the clubhouse, Smith-Njigba began dressing for the scheduled early morning workout.

Not admitting to already having been given word that he s heading north for the start of the 2023 MLB season, the 24-year-old outfielder seemed to be holding back a smile as he spoke about his baseball future.

""I m very excited. I m feeling great, said Smith-Njigba. ""I m living out my childhood dream.

Coming from a small city (population 50,000) in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex and coming back from suffering a fractured wrist last season after just three days in from being called up to the Pirates last June, Smith-Njigba entered the 2023 MLB season as a poster person for the joys of perseverance.

But, just as so many ballplayers before him, and surely many more in the future, the game has a way of being incredibly unfair. With only 14 games of being in Pirates skipper Derek Shelton s lineup this season, Smith-Njigba was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis Indians.

With the Pirates off to one of the organization s best starts in decades (in first place of the National League s Central Division heading into a weeklong home stand of three games with the Oakland A s and three with the New York Mets), there isn t a whole lot of messing with the club s outfield. Although included on the Pirates 40-man roster of protected players, when it comes to the depth chart of outfielders, Smith-Njigba is still at the back of the eight players listed.

Bryan Reynolds, Jack Suwinski, Connor Joe, Andrew McCutchen and Ji Hwan Bae are all getting regular playing time, game in and game out. 59 games in, with a half game lead over Milwaukee at the start of the week, it doesn t appear that the Pirates want to tinker with what s working.

Surely, Smith-Njigba will be scoreboard watching, while at home with the Indians this week playing against the Kansas City Royals best minor leaguers. Two of his spring training teammates, Travis Swaggerty and Cal Mitchell, have been up and down with the Pirates this season.

Competition is fierce for playing time in Pittsburgh.

The folks in charge of player personnel back at PNC Park in Pittsburgh have to be aware of Smith-Njigba's success down on the farm. With 26 games under his belt so far, the leftfielder continues to make a strong case for him to be the next man up, when another outfielder or bat needs to be dispatched to Allegheny County.

Smith-Njigba has crushed seven home runs, collected 25 hits, scored 20 runs, and driven in 22 RBIs.

And so, he waits for a text, a call, or for his Indians manager Miguel Perez to request his presence into his office to inform Smith-Njigba to pack his bags for Pittsburgh.

The upside of Smith-Njigba's baseball potential is off the proverbial charts. Back in his college days, what brought the New York Yankees to sign him in 2017, were offensive numbers that no doubt had opposing pitchers thinking twice on what to throw at Smith-Njigba.

During his senior season at Rockwall-Heath High School, Smith-Njigba received 57 walks in 43 games.

Smith-Njigba, whose grandparents immigrated to the United States from the Republic of Sierra Leone in West Africa, amazingly, remains positive of his baseball future. Back in Bradenton late in March, he was healthy, and spoke of having a lot of confidence for the 2023 season. From the numbers he s putting up in Triple-A, there is no wavering in Smith-Njigba's approach that he began last February at Pirate City.

The waiting game continues.