ALTOONA, Pa. -- Canaan Smith-Njigba immediately took exception to getting hit, then charged the mound apparently with one purpose -- to do some hitting himself.
The Pirates outfield prospect made news on Saturday while playing in the Arizona Fall League when the following video surfaced on social media. In it, Smith-Njigba gets hit up and in by a pitch from Boston Red Sox prospect John Winckowski, then runs to the mound and delivers a couple of punches before benches cleared.
Canaan Smith-Njigba and Josh Winckowski were at the center of an Arizona Fall League brawl this afternoon. @jnorris427 has more: https://t.co/ggRT3rHZIy pic.twitter.com/7R8xkfWMXY
— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) November 7, 2021
Smith-Njigba plays for the Peoria Javelinas, while Winckowski plays for the Scottsdale Scorpions. According to Baseball America, the two teams also played Friday, and prized Pirates shortstop prospect Nick Gonzales got hit a by a pitch in that game. Gonzales initially stayed in the game but was removed after the inning, per Baseball America.
After getting hit, Smith-Njigba was none too happy in the dugout. From the BA story:
Back in the dugout, Smith-Njigba could be heard shouting back at the scrum about how this had happened two days in a row.
Both Smith-Njigba and Winckowski were ejected from the game.
Smith-Njigba appeared in 66 games for the Double-A Altoona Curve this past season, hitting .274 with six homers, 40 RBIs and an .805 OPS. He also played seven games at Triple-A Indianapolis, hitting .095 (2-for-21) with two RBIs.
The 22-year-old has played in 14 games during the Arizona Fall League, batting .283 with no homers or RBIs, six doubles and an .834 OPS.
