Bárbaro Rafael Cañizares Hernandez (; born November 21, 1979) is a Cuban-American former

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

. Listed at 6' 3", 230 lb., Cañizares batted and threw right-handed. He was born in

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

Career in Cuba

Cañizares played from 1997 through 2003 for the

Industriales Industriales is a baseball team in the Cuban National Series. Located in Cerro, La Habana, it is known as the only team representing the country’s capital, Havana. Industriales is historically the most successful team in the National Series, a ...

and

Metropolitanos The Metropolitanos of Havana was a baseball team in the Cuban National Series. The Metros, also known as the ''Guerreros'' (Warriors), had historically been a poor team, though they were ostensibly the heir to the Habana (baseball club), Habana te ...

teams of the

Cuban National Series The Cuban National Series (, SNB) is the primary domestic professional baseball competition in Cuba. Formed after the dissolution of the Cuban League in the wake of the Cuban Revolution, the Series is a part of the Cuban baseball league system. ...

. Overall, he posted a

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

of .303 (537-for-1,775) with 38

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s and 294

runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the ba ...

in 520 games. He guided Industriales together with MLB player

Kendrys Morales Kendrys Morales Rodríguez (born June 20, 1983) is a Cuban-Dominican former professional baseball designated hitter and first baseman who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Seattle Mariners, Minnesota ...

to the postseason in 2005.

Minor League Baseball career

While playing for the Cuban national team, he sold his jersey to a fan after an international game. Unbeknownst to Cañizares, the fan was a member of the

United States Interests Section in Havana The United States Interests Section of the Embassy of Switzerland in Havana, Cuba or USINT Havana (the State Department telegraphic address) represented United States interests in Cuba from September 1, 1977, to July 20, 2015. It was staffed by ...

. As a result, Cañizares received a lifetime suspension from Cuban baseball. In February 2004, Cañizares

defected In politics, a defector is a person who gives up allegiance to one state in exchange for allegiance to another, changing sides in a way which is considered illegitimate by the first state. More broadly, defection involves abandoning a person, ca ...

from Cuba along with

Michel Abreu Michel Abreu Martinez (born February 8, 1975) is a Cuban former professional baseball player. A first baseman, he previously played for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of Nippon Professional Baseball. Abreu began his professional career in the C ...

and Yosandy Ibañez. The three later played professionally together in

Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the countr ...

n baseball. He then signed with the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in Bos ...

on February 4, 2006. After that, Cañizares has been consistently held in the Minor Leagues, playing for several teams in different countries.

Major Leagues

Cañizares was called up to the Atlanta Braves on June 11, 2009, making his major league debut the same day appearing fourth in the batting order and playing first base. Canizares played for the

Winnipeg Goldeyes The Winnipeg Goldeyes are a minor-league baseball team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The Goldeyes play in the American Association of Professional Baseball, which they joined in 2011. Previously, the Goldeyes were members of the Norther ...

of the

American Association of Independent Professional Baseball The American Association of Professional Baseball is an independent professional baseball league founded in 2005. It operates in the central United States and Canada, mostly in cities not served by Major League Baseball teams or their minor lea ...

during the 2012 season.

Mexican baseball

Cañizares also played in Mexico, where he earned

Mexican Pacific League The Mexican Pacific League (), known as Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacífico for sponsorship reasons or simply LMP for its acronym in Spanish, is a professional baseball winter league based in Northern Mexico. The ten-team regular season schedule ru ...

MVP honors with the

Yaquis de Obregón The Yaquis de Obregón ( en, Obregón Yaquis) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican Pacific League based in Ciudad Obregón, Sonora. The “Yaquis” are the only team in league history to have won three consecutive league championship ...

club in two different times. In addition, he captured the

Mexican League The Mexican League (, ) is a professional baseball league based in Mexico and the oldest running professional league in the country. The league has 18 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games each season. Five te ...

batting crown in 2011, after hitting a .396 average with the

Guerreros de Oaxaca The Guerreros de Oaxaca (English: Oaxaca Warriors) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Oaxaca City, Oaxaca, Mexico. Their home field is Estadio Eduardo Vasconcelos. History In October 1995, a group of businessmen, ...

Tigres de Quintana Roo

On April 23, 2017, Cañizares signed with the

Tigres de Quintana Roo The Quintana Roo Tigers (), formerly known as the Mexico (City) Tigers () are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico. The team is part of the Southern Division (). The team has won twelve champio ...

of the

Mexican Baseball League The Mexican League (, ) is a professional baseball league based in Mexico and the oldest running professional league in the country. The league has 18 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games each season. Five t ...

. He was released on May 15, 2017.

Algodoneros de Unión Laguna

On April 5, 2018, Cañizares signed with the

Algodoneros de Unión Laguna The Algodoneros de Unión Laguna (English: Laguna Union Cotton Farmers) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Torreón, Coahuila. History Early years The team was established in 1940 under the name Algodoneros de Unió ...

of the

Retirement

Cañizares retired as an active player following the 2018 season, and stayed in the

as a hitting coach for the

Olmecas de Tabasco The Olmecas de Tabasco (English: Tabasco Olmecs) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico. Their home ballpark is the Estadio Centenario 27 de Febrero. The Olmecas won their only Mexican L ...

Other leagues

In between, Cañizares has played with the

of the American Association, as well as in

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with ...

and

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

winter ball.

References

External links

, or , o
Winnipeg Goldeyes official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Canizares, Barbaro 1979 births Living people 2013 World Baseball Classic players Águilas del Zulia players Algodoneros de Unión Laguna players Atlanta Braves players Defecting Cuban baseball players Cuban expatriate baseball players in Japan Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks players Gigantes del Cibao players Guerreros de Oaxaca players Gulf Coast Braves players Gwinnett Braves players Industriales de La Habana players Major League Baseball first basemen Major League Baseball players from Cuba Cuban expatriate baseball players in the United States Mayos de Navojoa players Metropolitanos de La Habana players Mississippi Braves players Myrtle Beach Pelicans players Nippon Professional Baseball first basemen Richmond Braves players Baseball players from Havana Tiburones de La Guaira players Cuban expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Toros del Este players Cuban expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Winnipeg Goldeyes players Yaquis de Obregón players Cuban expatriate baseball players in Mexico

Career in Cuba

Minor League Baseball career

Major Leagues

Mexican baseball

Tigres de Quintana Roo

Algodoneros de Unión Laguna

Retirement

Other leagues

See also

References

External links