How Tall Is Canaan Smith-Njigba?
Canaan Smith-Njigba stands at a height of 1.83 m.
In their three major transactions this offseason, the Pittsburgh Pirates acquired 11 prospects. Four of the players were acquired from the New York Yankees in the Jameson Taillon trade.
While Miguel Yajure was the main attraction of the transaction, they also received another talent who could help them in the long run. Canaan Smith-Njigba is the left fielder.
Smith-Njigba was selected in the fourth round of the 2017 draft and has had an outstanding start to his professional career. The lefty batter hit .289/.430/.422 in his first 237 plate appearances at Rookie-Ball, with a.416 wOBA and a 151 wRC+.
With only 5 home runs and a.134 isolated slugging percentage, Njigba didn’t have much power, but he did hit 10 doubles.
Smith-Njigba has excellent plate discipline, and walked 19.4 percent of the time while striking out 18.6 percent of the time.
The next season, Smith-Njigba was promoted to Low-A Ball, but his total output did not convert. With a sub-.300 wOBA (.288) and 81 wRC+, he hit just .191/.181/.216.
He did, however, continue to walk at a respectable 11.1 percent of the time, despite a strikeout rate of 30.4 percent.
By far, his best season came in 2019. Smith-Njigba, now in A-Ball, has a line of .307/.405/.465 with a .398 wOBA and 154 wRC+ in 528 plate appearances.
His walk rate has increased to 15%, while his strikeout rate has decreased by nearly 10% to 20.5 percent. He also noticed a rise in power.
While he did hit a lot of doubles, 32 to be exact, he also blasted 11 home runs, a career high. Isolated slugging percentage of 158. Despite not being a fast runner, he managed to swipe 16 bases in 20 attempts.
His defensive home is now left field in the long run. He’s regarded as a mediocre to below-average defender.