While the MLB offseason has just begun, prospects from all 30 minor-league systems have made their way to the Arizona Fall League, hoping to put their best foot forward in the path to reaching the big leagues.
The outcomes may not count for much at the end of the day, but don’t tell that to Pirates prospect Canaan Smith-Njigba, who rushed the mound to fight Red Sox prospect Josh Winckowski after being hit by a pitch and incited a benches-clearing brawl on Saturday.
Baseball America has footage of the incident:
Smith-Njigba wasted no time after being hit, taking off his helmet before charging Winckowski and landing a couple of punches as the two fell to the ground. Players from both teams joined the fray, and the whole scene took several minutes to clear up according to Baseball America. When it finally did, both Smith-Njigba and Winckowski were ejected.
Smith-Njigba, 22, was a fourth-round pick by the Yankees in the 2017 MLB Draft and spent 2021 split between Double- and Triple-A. Winckowski, 23, was a 15th-round pick by the Blue Jays in the 2016 MLB Draft and also split his 2021 in Double- and Triple-A.
