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

Career in Cuba

Cañizares played from 1995 through 2003 for the

Industriales Industriales is a professional 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 Nat ...

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 teams of the pre-revolut ...

teams of the

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

. 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 .304 (599-for-1,973) with 47

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...

s and 335

runs batted in A run batted in or runs batted in (RBI) 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 th ...

in 573 games. He guided Industriales together with MLB player Kendrys Morales 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 ("USINT Havana" in the State Department telegraphic address) represented United States interests in Cuba from September 1, 1977 to July 20, 2015. It was staffed b ...

. 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 and Yosandy Ibañez. The three later played professionally together in

Nicaragua Nicaragua, officially the Republic of Nicaragua, is the geographically largest Sovereign state, country in Central America, comprising . With a population of 7,142,529 as of 2024, it is the third-most populous country in Central America aft ...

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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...

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 professional 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 ...

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 (, or LMP), also known as the Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacífico for sponsorship reasons, is a professional baseball Winter league baseball, winter league based in Northwestern Mexico. The league comprises 10 teams. It wa ...

MVP honors with the

Yaquis de Obregón The Yaquis de Obregón () are a professional baseball team based in Ciudad Obregón, Sonora, Mexico. They compete in the Mexican Pacific League (LMP). The team plays at the Estadio Yaquis with a capacity of 16,500 seated spectators. The team h ...

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

Mexican League The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports league in the country. The league has 20 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games ...

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 Tigres de Quintana Roo (English: Quintana Roo Tigers) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Cancún, Quintana Roo, Mexico. The team is part of the Southern Division (). The team has won twelve championships to date: ...

of the

Mexican Baseball League The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports league in the country. The league has 20 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games ...

. 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 Cottoneers) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League (LMB). Based in Torreón, Coahuila, they play in the North Division of LMB. History Early years The team was established ...

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 Lea ...

Other leagues

In between, Cañizares has played with the

of the American Association, as well as in

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...

and

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

winter ball.

References

External links

{{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