José Canseco Capas Jr. (born July 2, 1964) is a

Cuban-American Cuban Americans ( or ) are Americans who immigrated from or are descended from immigrants from Cuba. As of 2023, Cuban Americans were the fourth largest Hispanic and Latino Americans, Hispanic and Latino American group in the United States aft ...

former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to catch ...

and

designated hitter The designated hitter (DH) is a baseball player who bats in place of another position player, most commonly the pitcher. Unlike other players in a team's lineup, they generally only play as an offensive player and usually do not play defense as ...

who played 17 seasons in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB). During his time with the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...

, he established himself as one of the premier

power hitter Power hitter is a term used in baseball for a skilled player that has a higher than average ability in terms of his Batting (baseball), batting, featuring a combination of dexterity and personal strength that likely leads to a high number of hom ...

s in the game. He won the Rookie of the Year (1986), and

Most Valuable Player In team sports, a most valuable player (MVP) award is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particular competition, or ...

award (1988), and was a six-time

All-Star An all-star team is a group of people all having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and has been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry. Sports "All-star" as a sport ...

. Canseco is a two-time

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB). It has been contested since between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winning team, determined through a best- ...

champion with the Oakland Athletics (1989) and the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

(2000). In 1988, Canseco became the first player in MLB history to hit 40 home runs and steal 40 bases in one season. He won the

Silver Slugger Award The Silver Slugger Award has been awarded annually since 1980 to the best Batting (baseball), offensive player at each Baseball positions, position in both the American League (AL) and the National League (baseball), National League (NL), as determ ...

four times: three as an

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is the younger of two sports leagues, leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western L ...

(AL) outfielder (1988, 1990, 1991), and once as a designated hitter (1998). He ranks fourth all-time in Athletics history with 254

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 is one of 14 players in MLB history with 400 home runs and 200

stolen base In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base unaided by other actions and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe or out ...

s. Despite many injuries during the later part of his career, Canseco averaged 40 home runs, 120

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 ...

, and 102

runs scored In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted bal ...

every 162 games, playing a total of 1,887 games in 17 seasons with seven different teams. His 462 career home runs are the 12th-highest total in AL history and the 2nd most in MLB history for a player with less than 2,000 games played. Canseco admitted using

performance-enhancing drugs Performance-enhancing substances (PESs), also known as performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs), are substances that are used to improve any form of activity performance in humans. Many substances, such as anabolic steroids, can be used to improve at ...

during his major-league playing career, and in 2005 wrote a tell-all book, '' Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant 'Roids, Smash Hits & How Baseball Got Big'', in which he said that the vast majority of MLB players use

steroids A steroid is an organic compound with four fused rings (designated A, B, C, and D) arranged in a specific molecular configuration. Steroids have two principal biological functions: as important components of cell membranes that alter mem ...

. After retiring from MLB, he also competed in

boxing Boxing is a combat sport and martial art. Taking place in a boxing ring, it involves two people – usually wearing protective equipment, such as boxing glove, protective gloves, hand wraps, and mouthguards – throwing Punch (combat), punch ...

and

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting combat sport, sport based on strike (attack), striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-s ...

Early life

Canseco 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.Ozzie Canseco, who is also a former major league player. When

Fidel Castro Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban politician and revolutionary who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and President of Cuba, president ...

came into power in 1959, José Sr., a territory manager for the oil and gasoline corporation

Esso Esso () is a trading name for ExxonMobil. Originally, the name was primarily used by its predecessor Standard Oil of New Jersey after the breakup of the original Standard Oil company in 1911. The company adopted the name "Esso" (from the phon ...

as well as a part-time English teacher, lost his job and eventually his home. The family was allowed to leave Cuba in 1965, when the twins were barely one year old, and settled in the

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

area, where José Sr. became a territory manager for another oil and gasoline concern,

Amoco Amoco ( ) is a brand of filling station, fuel stations operating in the United States and owned by British conglomerate BP since 1998. The Amoco Corporation was an American chemical and petroleum, oil company, founded by Standard Oil Company i ...

. Canseco played baseball at Miami Coral Park High School, where he failed to make the varsity team until his senior year. He was named Most Valuable Player of the junior varsity team in his junior year and of the varsity team the following year. He graduated in 1982.

Baseball career

Minor League Baseball (1982–1985)

The

drafted Canseco in the 15th round of the 1982 Major League Baseball draft. He made his professional baseball debut with the

Miami Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League East, East Division. The ...

of the

Florida State League The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following ...

and also played

Minor League Baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...

with the

Medford A's __NOTOC__ Medford may refer to: *Medford (surname) Places Canada *Medford, Nova Scotia United States *Medford, Indiana, an unincorporated community *Medford, Maine, a town *Medford, Massachusetts, a city *Medford, Minnesota, a city *Medford ...

, Madison Muskies, Idaho Falls A's, Modesto A's, and

Tacoma Tigers Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, southwest of Bellevue, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, northwest of Mou ...

. Canseco started the 1985 season with the Class-AA Huntsville Stars and became known as "Parkway José" for his long home runs (25 in half a season) that went close to the Memorial Parkway behind Joe Davis Stadium. Canseco was nicknamed "The Natural", with some analysts saying he was the best prospect since

Willie Mays Willie Howard Mays Jr. (May 6, 1931 – June 18, 2024), nicknamed "the Say Hey Kid", was an American professional baseball center fielder who played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of ...

. Oakland A's hitting coach

Bob Watson Robert José Watson (April 10, 1946May 14, 2020) was an American professional baseball player, Coach (baseball), coach and General manager (baseball), general manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a first baseman and left fielder from ...

said that Canseco was a mixture of

Roberto Clemente Roberto Enrique Clemente Walker (; August 18, 1934 – December 31, 1972) was a Puerto Rican professional baseball player who played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates, primarily as a right fielder. On December ...

Dale Murphy Dale Bryan Murphy (born March 12, 1956) is an American former professional baseball player. During an 18-year career in Major League Baseball (MLB) from to , he played as an outfielder, catcher, and first baseman for the Atlanta Braves, Philade ...

, and Reggie Jackson. Others touted Canseco as the next

Mickey Mantle Mickey Charles Mantle (October 20, 1931 – August 13, 1995), nicknamed "the Mick" and "the Commerce Comet", was an American professional baseball player who played his entire Major League Baseball (MLB) career (1951–1968) with the New York ...

Major League Baseball (1985–2001)

Oakland Athletics (1985–1992)

In 1985, Canseco won the Baseball America Minor League Player of the Year Award, and was a late "September call-up" for the

. He made his Major League debut on September 2, striking out in his one at-bat against the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...

. His first hit was off

Ron Guidry Ronald Ames Guidry (; born August 28, 1950), nicknamed "Louisiana Lightning" and "Gator", is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 14 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees. Guidry was also the pitch ...

of the

on September 7, and his first home run was off Jeff Russell of the Texas Rangers on September 9. He played in 29 games in the major leagues in 1985, batting .302 with 5 home runs and 13 RBIs in 96 at-bats. He was named Player of the Week from September 23 to 29 with a .481 BA (13 for 27), 3 HRs, and 7 RBIs in 7 games. He played both left and right field in 26 games and made 3 errors in 61 chances, with 56 putouts, 2 assists, and 1 double play. On September 26, he played 3 innings in center field, in his only career appearance in that position. For the entire 1985 year (AA, AAA, and Major League level combined), Canseco had a .330 batting average with 41 home runs, 140 runs batted in, 73 extra base hits, 336 total bases, and a .622 slugging percentage. After being named Minor League Baseball Player of the Year and a good September call-up the prior year, Canseco was the favorite to win the

's Rookie of the Year Award in 1986. He batted either fifth or third in the lineup and he established himself that year in his first full season as the starting left fielder for the Athletics. By the All-Star break he was leading the American League in home runs (23) and runs batted in (78) and was selected as a backup outfielder for the All-Star Game by manager Dick Howser, although he did not see any playing time in the game. An 0-for-34 batting slump in August prevented him from winning the RBI crown, finishing with 117, four fewer than league leader Joe Carter. He led the league in outfielder errors with 14 and was third with 175 strikeouts. Nonetheless, his 33

s (4th in the AL), 117 RBIs, 29 doubles, and 15 stolen bases helped him win the American League Rookie of the Year award, defeating

California Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West Division. Since 1966, the team has pl ...

first baseman Wally Joyner. He also finished 20th in the American League MVP ballot. In 1987, first baseman

Mark McGwire Mark David McGwire (born October 1, 1963), nicknamed "Big Mac", is an American former professional baseball first baseman who played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1986 to 2001 for the Oakland Athletics and the St. Louis Card ...

joined Canseco on the Athletics, as an everyday player. In that roster the A's also had veteran slugger Reggie Jackson, Canseco's childhood hero, playing in his last MLB season. McGwire hit 49 home runs that year and was also named the American League Rookie of the Year. Together, Canseco and McGwire formed a fearsome offensive tandem, later known as the "

Bash Brothers The Bash Brothers are a duo of former baseball players consisting of Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire. Both prolific home run hitters, the two were teammates in Major League Baseball (MLB) for seven seasons with the Oakland Athletics, helping the t ...

". Canseco followed his rookie season with a similar offensive performance in 1987. He improved his batting average from .240 in 1986 to .257 in 1987, hitting 31 home runs, 113 runs batted in (6th in the AL), and 35 doubles (10th) in 691 at-bats (9th), while missing only 3 games the entire season. He was also 5th in the league in strikeouts, with 157. In the outfield, Canseco improved his performance compared to 1986. Playing left field the entire year, he was among the league leaders in this position with a .976 fielding average (3rd), 267 putouts (2nd), 12 assists (3rd), and 3 double plays (1st). He only committed 7 errors, half of what he made the previous year. He finished 23rd in the MVP ballot. Canseco combined with McGwire for a total of 80 home runs and 236 runs batted in, making the young pair (Canseco was 22 years old and McGwire 23) the most spectacular batting duo in the upcoming years, drawing comparisons to the likes of

Roger Maris Roger Eugene Maris (born Maras; September 10, 1934 – December 14, 1985) was an American professional baseball right fielder who played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He is best known for setting a new List of Major League Baseball p ...

/ Willie McCovey, and

Hank Aaron Henry Louis Aaron (February 5, 1934 – January 22, 2021), nicknamed "Hammer" or "Hammerin' Hank", was an American professional baseball right fielder who played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), from 1954 through 1976. Considered one ...

Eddie Mathews Edwin Lee Mathews (October 13, 1931 – February 18, 2001) was an American professional baseball third baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 17 seasons for the Boston / Milwaukee / Atlanta Braves (1952–1966); Houston Astros (19 ...

During the preseason of 1988, Canseco guaranteed he would hit at least 40 home runs and steal at least 40 bases in the upcoming season. The Athletics lineup featured established players with a lot of experience like former MVPs

Dave Parker David Gene Parker (born June 9, 1951), nicknamed "the Cobra", is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a right fielder from 1973 to 1991. A seven-time All-Star, Parker won two National League ba ...

and Don Baylor, as well as outfielder Dave Henderson, and third baseman

Carney Lansford Carney Ray Lansford (born February 7, 1957) is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a third baseman from 1978 to 1992, most notably as a member of the Oakland Athletics team that ...

, that complemented McGwire and Canseco in the middle of the batting order. After alternating between batting second and third in the lineup for the first 10 games of the season, he was inserted in the number 3 spot for the rest of the season. He also moved from left to right field. Canseco hit a home run on Opening Day against the Seattle Mariners and had his first stolen base of the season. During the first 40 games of the season, he hit for a .300 batting average with 10 home runs and 15 stolen bases. His first multi-home run game was on July 3 against the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...

Exhibition Stadium Canadian National Exhibition Stadium (commonly known as Exhibition Stadium or CNE Stadium and nicknamed The Ex) was a multi-purpose stadium in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on the grounds of Exhibition Place. Originally built for Canadian National ...

during a 16-inning contest in which Canseco had a 3-for-7 performance, with 3 home runs and 6 runs batted in. By the All-Star break, he had 24 home runs (1st in the American League), 22 stolen bases, and 67 RBIs (2nd in the AL). He was selected by fans to the All-Star Game as one of the starting outfielders, batting fourth in the lineup. On July 31, he had his second and last multi-home run game of the year against the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...

, hitting 2 homers. On September 18, he hit his 40th home run of the year against the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...

in front of the Oakland crowd. Five days later against the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. The Brewers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Di ...

, Canseco stole 2 bases, the second one coming after his first bunt of the season, to become the first 40-40 player in Major League history. With a .393/.446/.753 slash line, 8 home runs, and 24 RBIs in 24 games for the month, he was named the American League's Player of the Month for September. A well-rounded team with lots of power, great starting and relief pitching, and a sound defense, the Oakland Athletics finished the season with a major league-best 104 wins and swept the Boston Red Sox in 4 games in the ALCS. For the series, Canseco had a .313 batting average and hit home runs in games one, two, and four, and all of them either tied the game or gave the Athletics the lead, but the ALCS MVP Award went to reliver

Dennis Eckersley Dennis Lee Eckersley (born October 3, 1954), nicknamed "Eck", is an American former professional baseball pitcher and color commentator. Between 1975 and 1998, he pitched in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox, ...

who had 4 saves in 4 chances. The A's met the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

in the

, a matchup that featured the leading candidate to win the American League MVP Award facing the eventual National League Cy Young Award winner,

Orel Hershiser Orel Leonard Hershiser IV (born September 16, 1958) is an American former baseball pitcher who played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1983 to 2000. He later became a pitching coach for the Texas Rangers from 2002 to 2005 and a br ...

. The Dodgers prevailed, upsetting the A's in five games. Canseco hit a grand slam in Game 1 during his first official World Series at-bat (though his second plate appearance, after he was hit by a pitch in the first inning), tying Gene Tenace for the Athletics’ franchise record of most home runs in a single postseason with 4, but it would be his only hit in the Series. He was unanimously named the American League's

in 1988 (making him the seventh player in league history to win the award unanimously) with a .307

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 ...

, 120

(second in the league), and 347 total bases (2nd), and leading the major leagues with 76

extra-base hit In baseball, an extra-base hit (EB, EBH or XBH), also known as a long hit, is any hit (baseball), base hit on which the batting (baseball), batter is able to advance past first base without the benefit of a fielder either committing an error (base ...

s, 124 RBIs, 42 home runs, a .569

slugging percentage In baseball statistics, slugging percentage (SLG) is a measure of the batting productivity of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at-bats, through the following formula, where ''AB'' is the number of at-bats for a given player, an ...

, and a 14.5 home run per at-bat ratio. His 40

s were the fourth highest in the league. 27 of his 42 home runs of the season either tied the game or gave the Athletics the lead. He also won his first

. He was exclusively a right fielder during the year, playing in 144 games on defense, committing 7 errors in 322 chances, and had 304 putouts for a .978 fielding percentage. He was third in the league in outfielder assists with 11. In 1989, Canseco missed the first 88 games of the regular season because of a broken wrist during the preseason. Despite not playing a single game in the first half of the year, he was voted as one of the starting outfielders for the American League All-Star team. Unable to play he was replaced in the lineup by Rangers outfielder Rubén Sierra. Canseco returned immediately after the All-Star break, hitting an opposite-field home run against the

in his first game of the season. He hit 5 home runs in his first 35 at bats (10 games), but only 2 in the following 20 games. After finding his rhythm at the plate, Canseco finished the season strong, hitting .286 with 10 home runs, 33 hits, and 33 RBIs in his last 30 games of the year. He managed to hit 17 home runs with 57 RBIs in barely 65 games played for the entire season, a pace equal to 40+ home runs and 130+ RBIs had he played a full season. The Athletics won the AL West and their first

since

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...

, beating the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

in four games. Canseco had a solid postseason, batting .323 and hitting 2 home runs including one in the ALCS against the Blue Jays that reached the upper deck of the

SkyDome Rogers Centre (originally SkyDome) is a retractable roof stadium in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated at the base of the CN Tower near the northern shore of Lake Ontario. Opened in 1989 on the former Railway Lands, it is home to ...

. Against the Giants, in the World Series, he hit for a .357 average with a home run in Game 3. The 1989 Series was interrupted before Game 3 by a major earthquake in the

San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a List of regions of California, region of California surrounding and including San Francisco Bay, and anchored by the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose, California, S ...

. As the reigning World Series Champs, the Oakland Athletics were favorites to repeat, and they were hopeful that Canseco would remain healthy throughout the 1990 season. In May, he was named the American League's Player of the Month for the second time in his career, after hitting .353 in 27 games with 13 home runs and 35 runs batted in. Canseco started to have back problems, an issue that would become recurrent in his career. Despite missing over 20 games due to injury during the first part of the season, he received a then-record 5-year, $23.5-million dollar contract, making him the highest paid player in Major League history and the first ever to make at least $4 million in a year, averaging $4.7 million per season. On May 22, Canseco hit his first regular-season grand slam of his career against the Toronto Blue Jays. By the All-Star break, he had played in only 64 games, hitting .293 with 22 home runs (6 behind the American League leader Cecil Fielder). Canseco was selected to start in the All-Star Game for the third consecutive year, this time with the most fan votes in the American League. On July 18, his twin brother Ozzie Canseco made his major league debut. During a July 24 game against the

, both José and Ozzie had line drive hits to left field off pitcher Jim Abbott and both were thrown out at second base by left fielder Max Venable, trying to extend a single in to a double. Although he hit 15 home runs in 69 games during the second half, Canseco was not as productive as the first part of the year. He missed another 11 games late in the season, and at times he was coming off the bench as a pinch hitter. From August 1 until the end of the regular season, he hit .220 with 5 homers, 24 RBIs, and 60 strikeouts in 47 games, while battling with a back injury. He finished 3rd in the league with 37 home runs, behind Fielder (51) and teammate Mark McGwire (39). In 131 games, he had 101 runs batted in and 19 stolen bases. It was the fourth time in 5 years that he had 100+ RBIs. For the season, he played in 43 games as the designated hitter and only 88 in right field, making only one error in 189 chances during the year. The Oakland A's won their division with a league-best 103 wins and were the favorites to win the World Series. Canseco had a discreet ALCS, hitting .182 (2-for-11) with 5 strikeouts, but the A's swept the Boston Red Sox 4 games to 0, and moved on to play in their third World Series in a row, this time against the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...

. Canseco struggled both at the plate and in the outfield, missing on two key plays in Game 2. In the same game, he had his only hit of the series, a 2-run home run against Danny Jackson, to set a franchise record with the 7th postseason home run of his career. After going 0 for 4 in Game 3, and 1 for 11 in the series, Canseco was benched in Game 4. Manager Tony LaRussa cited Canseco's sore back and injured middle finger as the reasons for taking him out of the lineup, but there was speculation that his own teammates requested LaRussa to bench Canseco due to his poor outfield performance and struggles at the plate. Down 2 runs to 1 and facing elimination in Game 4, Canseco entered as a

pinch hitter In baseball, a pinch hitter (PH) is a substitute batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the ball is dead (not in active play); the manager may use any player who has not yet entered the game as a substitute. Unlike basketball, A ...

in the bottom of the 9th, but he grounded out to third for the second out of the inning. One batter later, the Reds completed the sweep over a heavily favored Oakland team. At the end of the year, Canseco won his second Silver Slugger Award and finished 12th in the AL MVP ballot. Canseco continued to be productive the following year and for the first time since 1988, completely healthy. By the All-Star break of the 1991 season, he was leading the league with 21 home runs (tied with Cecil Fielder) and had 63 RBIs, but inexplicably did not receive All-Star Game consideration by either the fans or as a reserve player, as his own A's skipper Tony LaRussa, managing the AL for the 3rd straight year, did not select him as a substitute. Fans instead voted Athletics outfielder Dave Henderson, who had far lesser offensive numbers than Canseco, and LaRussa selected

Kirby Puckett Kirby Puckett (March 14, 1960 – March 6, 2006) was an American professional baseball player. He played his entire 12-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career for the Minnesota Twins (1984–1995). Puckett was instrumental in helping the Twins t ...

, Joe Carter, and Rubén Sierra as the reserve outfielders. Canseco not being selected by his own manager despite leading the league in home runs, led many to believe that the relationship between Canseco and LaRussa had started to deteriorate. His best month that season was July, hitting 10 home runs in 27 games (1 every 11.1 at-bats) with a .315 batting average. He finished the 1991 season batting .266 with 44 home runs, earning the second home run crown of his career (tied with Detroit's Cecil Fielder), 122 RBIs, 26 stolen bases, and a .556 slugging percentage. He led the AL with a home run every 13.0 at bats, while finishing 4th in the MVP ballot. He won his third Silver Slugger Award in four years. Towards the end of the season, there were mixed opinions from the Oakland fans in regards to Canseco; some would boo him but others showed support by cheering in games at the Oakland Coliseum. During a home game on September 20, and after rumors that he was on his way out of Oakland, he received a standing ovation by the fans. Canseco responded with his 42nd home run of the season against the Toronto Blue Jays, tying his career-best. The Athletics, however, missed the playoffs for the first time in three years, finishing 4th in the AL West. The Athletics returned to contention in 1992, and despite missing 24 of the A's games in the first half, Canseco hit 18 home runs (in 249 at-bats) by the All-Star break, and he was voted to start his 4th All-Star Game in 5 years, though he was unable to play due to a sore right shoulder and was replaced with Joe Carter. At this point during his tenure with the A's, from 1986 to 1992, and despite missing roughly 120 games between 1989 and 1990 and about 20 more during the first half of the 1992 season, Canseco averaged 32 home runs a year and hit 100+ RBIs five times. He also averaged 40 home runs, 125 RBIs, and 22 stolen bases per every 162 games played; captured AL Rookie of the Year honors, two home run titles, an MVP award, three Silver Slugger Awards, three American League Pennants, and a World Series ring. He was selected to five All-Star Games in his first 7 full Major League seasons. In the six years between 1986 and 1991, he finished in the top four in the American League home run leaderboard 4 times. He hit 231 home runs from 1985 to 1992 for the A's, putting him 2nd all-time behind Reggie Jackson since the Athletics moved to Oakland in 1968. His 7 career postseason home runs and 18 runs batted in are both the all-time record for the franchise (1901–2024).

Texas Rangers (1992–1994)

On August 31, 1992, in the bottom of the first inning of a game vs the

, and while Canseco was in the on-deck circle, the A's traded him to the Texas Rangers for Rubén Sierra, Jeff Russell, Bobby Witt, and cash. At the moment of the trade, Canseco was batting .243 with 22 home runs and 72 RBIs in 97 games, and the A's were leading the American League West Division by 6.5 games. The Oakland front office was looking to fortify their pitching down the stretch. A's general manager Sandy Alderson announced the trade while the Athletics were still playing the Orioles that night. The trade caught Canseco, the fans, the media, and people throughout Major League Baseball all by surprise, as Canseco was considered at the time the best player in baseball, but was also the most scrutinized. From 1986 until the date of the trade, no other player had hit more home runs (226) in the major leagues. In Texas, Canseco joined Latino stars

Rafael Palmeiro Rafael Palmeiro Corrales (born September 24, 1964) is a Cuban-American former baseball first baseman and left fielder. He played 20 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for three teams. Palmeiro was an All-American at Mississippi State Univer ...

, Juan González, and

Iván Rodríguez Iván Rodríguez Torres (born November 27, 1971), nicknamed "Pudge" and "I-Rod", is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball catcher who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Ran ...

. He had a good start with the Rangers, hitting .367 (11-for-30) with 3 home runs and 11 RBIs in his first 8 games, but had only 6 hits and one home run in his last 43 at-bats, averaging .140. Despite missing nearly 50 games to injuries and the trade to the Rangers, Canseco managed to hit 26 home runs (7th in the AL) and had 87 runs batted in, playing 115 games in 1992 for the Athletics and the Rangers. From 1985, the year he debuted with the A's, until the end of 1992, Canseco's 235 home runs were the most by any major league player. At the end of the 1992 season, the Oakland A's would go on to lose the American League Championship Series to the Toronto Blue Jays 4 games to 2. Since winning the 1990 ALCS, the A's would not win a playoff series for another 16 seasons. Canseco started the 1993 season relatively healthy, playing in all of the Rangers' games in the first quarter of the season (45 games). Although hitting only a home run every 20 at bats, he had 44 hits, 12 doubles, 7 home runs and 38 RBIs in the first 36 games he played, while batting .306 in that span. On April 25, he became the first player since

Ted Williams Theodore Samuel Williams (August 30, 1918 – July 5, 2002) was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played his entire 19-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career, primarily as a left fielder, for the Boston Red Sox from 193 ...

in 1947 to reach 750 RBIs in less than 1,000 games played. On May 26, 1993, during a game against the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...

, Carlos Martínez hit a fly ball that Canseco lost sight of as he was crossing the warning track. The ball hit him on the head and bounced over the wall for a home run. The cap Canseco was wearing on that play, which '' This Week in Baseball'' rated in 1998 as the greatest

blooper A blooper, or gag reel, is short clip from a film, television program or video production, usually a deleted scene, containing a mistake made by a member of the cast or crew. It also refers to an error made during a live radio or TV broadcast or ...

of the show's first 21 years, is in the collection of ESPN journalist

Keith Olbermann Keith Theodore Olbermann (born January 27, 1959) is an American sports and political commentator and writer. Olbermann spent the first 20 years of his career in sports journalism. He was a sports correspondent for CNN and for local TV and ra ...

. Three days later, on May 29, Canseco asked his

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...

, Kevin Kennedy, to let him pitch the eighth inning of a runaway loss to the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

. In his inning-long pitching appearance, he injured his arm. He was out of the lineup from May 31 until June 10. He played in another 15 games after pitching against the Red Sox but he was shut down on June 23 due to arm discomfort, requiring

Tommy John surgery Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, sometimes referred to as Tommy John surgery is a surgical graft procedure where the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with either a tendon from elsewhere in the patient's body, ...

and missing the remainder of the season. He finished the 1993 season hitting .256 with 10 home runs and 46 RBIs in 60 games. In the strike-shortened 1994 season, Canseco again returned to his former status as a power hitter. Throughout the season, he was amongst the American League leaders in home runs, while playing exclusively as a

. On April 20, he hit the 250th home run of his career, making him the 16th player with that total before age 30. From June 3 to the 13th, he batted .559 (19-for-34) with 8 home runs and 20 runs batted in. In the last game of that span, he set career-highs for a single game with 5 hits, 8 RBIs, and 3 home runs (tying a career-high), including a grand slam against the

. During

Kenny Rogers Kenneth Ray Rogers (born Kenneth Donald Rogers) (August 21, 1938 – March 20, 2020) was an American singer and songwriter. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013. Rogers was particul ...

' perfect game on July 28, Canseco went 2-for-4 with 2 solo home runs in the 4–0 victory over the

. He finished the season with 31 home runs (4th in the AL), 90 RBIs (7th), a .552 Slugging Percentage (7), and hitting a home run every 13.8 at-bats (5th) while playing in 111 of the Rangers' 114 games. He also stole 15 bases, posted a .282 batting average, led the league with 20 GIDP (ground into double-play), and was second in the league with 114 strikeouts. Canseco was on pace to set career highs in home runs (45), runs batted in (130) and runs scored (127) when the players' strike started on August 12. He was named ''The Sporting News'' Comeback Player of the Year and finished in 11th place in the AL MVP voting. Playing for the Texas Rangers, Canseco hit 45 home runs (averaging 37 per every 162 games played), 136 runs batted in, 23 stolen bases, 118 runs scored, and 180 hits in 171 games played, for a .273/.360/.515 slash line and 197 strikeouts.

Boston Red Sox (1995–1996)

After playing with the Rangers for a little over two years, Canseco was traded on December 9 to the

for Otis Nixon and Luis Ortiz, where he joined 1986 AL MVP Roger Clemens and eventual 1995 MVP Mo Vaughn. He once again battled injuries, missing 50 games during the first half of the year. However, from July 1 until the end of the season, he had a .387 batting average (122-for-315) with 21 home runs and 66 RBIs in 79 games. From August 27 to September 15, he had the longest hitting streak of his career, hitting safely in 17 games (he had a hit in 24 of his last 28 games of the year). At the end of the regular season, he had 24 home runs with a .306 batting average, his highest since 1988. His last home run of the 1995 season against

Jesse Orosco Jesse Russell Orosco (born April 21, 1957) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball from 1979 to 2003 for the New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, Cleveland Indians, Milwaukee Brewers, Baltimor ...

was the 300th of his career. The Red Sox captured the AL East Division title to advance to the ALDS, making it Canseco's first postseason in five years. The Red Sox were swept by the

in the American League Division Series 3 games to 0. In Game 2, Canseco once again faced pitcher Orel Hershiser, going 0-for-3 with a strikeout. Dating back to the 1988 World Series, Canseco was 0-for-11 lifetime with 3 strikeouts against Hershiser in 3 postseason matchups. After playing the entire 1994 season and all but one game in the 1995 season as a designated hitter, Canseco was the starting right fielder during Game 3 of the American League Division Series. 1995 was the last year of the five-year contract he signed with the Athletics in 1990. According to the Baseball-Reference website, Canseco had the highest yearly salary of his career, making a total of $5.8 million for the 1995 season. Canseco had a great first half of the 1996 season, hitting 26 home runs by the All-Star break (3rd in the league at that point). Between May 18 and June 29, he had a .306 BA with 19 home runs, and 44 RBIs in only 39 games. He was sidelined on July 25 once again due to injury, missing nearly 50 games. He returned to the lineup on September 17 but hit only 2 home runs the rest of the season. He finished the year with a .289/.400/.589 slash line with 28 home runs, 82 runs batted in, and 22 doubles in 96 games. He played in the outfield in 12 games. After the 1996 season, the Red Sox fired manager Kevin Kennedy and Canseco requested a trade out of Boston. Although productive when he was in the lineup, Canseco missed over 120 games during his 2-year tenure with Boston, playing in only 102 and 96 games in 1995 and 1996. He averaged 184 hits, 43 home runs, 134 RBIs, 108 runs, 39 doubles, a .289 batting average, and a slugging percentage of .571 per every 162 games played with the Red Sox.

Return to Oakland (1997)

In January 1997, he was traded to the Oakland Athletics for pitcher John Wasdin. The day after the news of his return to Oakland, the A's front office informed him that ticket sales for the day were the highest in over three years, mainly because of the

reunion. Regarding his health, Canseco had a promising first half of the season, playing in 83 of Oakland's 89 games, with more than half of those as an outfielder. He had 18 home runs and 57 RBIs by the All-Star break (on pace for 35 homers and 110 RBIs for the entire season), but he suffered a back injury yet again, keeping him on the disabled list and missing 15 games in July and August. He returned to action on August 20, but with the Athletics organization wanting to focus on developing young talent, and with the Bash Brothers reunion losing its appeal with the trade of Mark McGwire to the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...

at the trade deadline, Canseco ended his season on August 26, missing the last 30 games of the season. In Canseco's eyes, he was shut down by the front office to prevent him from getting the minimum plate appearances that would trigger the renewal of his contract for the following year. He finished the season with a .235 average, the lowest of his career, but with 23 home runs and 74 runs batted in in 388 at-bats. His home run against the Red Sox on August 8 gave him a career total of 254 in an Athletics uniform, placing him 4th all-time behind Reggie Jackson (269),

Jimmie Foxx James Emory Foxx (October 22, 1907 – July 21, 1967), nicknamed "Double X" and "the Beast", was an American professional baseball first baseman who played 20 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Athletics, Boston Red ...

(302), and McGwire (363). After three seasons of playing exclusively as a DH, Canseco saw considerably more action in the outfield, playing 46 of his 108 games in left or right field.

Toronto Blue Jays (1998)

In 1998, Canseco signed a $2.1 million contract on February 4 with the

. He continued to have more action in the outfield, playing a total of 76 games in both left and right field and finishing the season with a .960 fielding average, committing 5 errors in 126 chances. At the plate, Canseco had a productive season again, finishing the first half of the season with 24 home runs, 21 stolen bases, and 48 RBIs. For the first time in his career, he was issued a jersey number other than 33, wearing number 44 for the first part of the season. (After Ed Sprague was traded to Oakland, Canseco switched back to number 33). During the second half of the season, the Blue Jays instructed Canseco to reduce his attempts to steal bases, causing him to finish one steal shy of another 30–30 season. On July 19, he hit home runs number 25 and 26 against the Yankees and

Andy Pettitte Andrew Eugene Pettitte (; born June 15, 1972) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), primarily for the New York Yankees. He also pitched for the Houston Astros. Pettitte won fiv ...

, including the sixth grand slam of his career. He finished the season having played 151 games, his highest in 6 years, with a career-high 46 home runs (third in the AL), 107 RBIs, 29 stolen bases, and 98 runs scored, but a .237 batting average. He also led the league with 159 strikeouts. He earned his fourth career Silver Slugger Award, his first as a designated hitter. The Blue Jays made a small effort to retain Canseco after the season, offering him a one-year contract worth just over a million dollars for the following season. Canseco declined the offer and became a free agent on October 22.

Final seasons (1999–2001)

Despite hitting a career-high 46 home runs in 1998, the 33-year-old Canseco drew minimal attention in the free agent market. In 1999, he signed a one-year contract with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays worth $3.3 million with incentives to be their Designated Hitter. According to Canseco, the contract included a clause stating that if he was elected to the Hall of Fame, he would be depicted as a member of the Devil Rays. That year, he came out of the gate swinging, hitting a home run on Opening Day and reaching a total of 10 home runs by the end of April. On April 14 he hit home run number 400 of his career against Toronto's Kelvim Escobar. From May 16 to 21, he hit a home run in five consecutive games, the second-longest streak in Tampa Bay history. In his first 60 games played, he hit 25 home runs, batting .306 with a .690 slugging percentage. On pace for a 60+ home run season, he was voted to the All-Star team as the starting DH for the American League (Tampa Bay's first position player ever to be selected to the All-Star Game), making it his first selection in seven years. By the All-Star break, Canseco was leading the American League with 31 home runs, while playing in 82 games during the first half of the season, and became the 14th player in MLB history to hit 30+ home runs before the All-Star break. However, he injured his back days before the mid-summer classic and missed the game, and was replaced by

. He also missed the Home Run Derby at Boston's

Fenway Park Fenway Park is a ballpark located in Boston, Massachusetts, less than one mile from Kenmore Square. Since 1912, it has been the home field of Major League Baseball's (MLB) Boston Red Sox. While the stadium was built in 1912, it was substantia ...

and the chance to compete against Bash Brother Mark McGwire. He had back surgery and was expected to miss the rest of the season. With a remarkable recovery, he came back into action on August 20, less than a month and a half after his back operation. After his return, Canseco was hitting .315 with only 2 home runs but had 18 RBIs and 23 hits in his first 20 games back. Although he only hit 3 more home runs in 115 at-bats after his injury, he had a .287 batting average with 26 RBIs and 33 hits in his last 31 games of the year. He finished the season with 34 home runs and 95 RBIs with a .276 batting average and was ninth in the league with a .563 slugging percentage. Despite missing around 350 games since 1990, mostly due to injuries, by the end of 1999, Canseco had a total of 303 home runs in 1,145 games, which placed him eighth in the majors during the 1990s. In 5 seasons during the 90's, he was in the Top-10 list for home run hitters in the American League. In February 2000, before the start of spring training for the following MLB season, Canseco played in the

MLBPA The Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) is the labor union representing all current Major League Baseball (MLB) and Minor League Baseball (MiLB) players. All players, managers, coaches, and athletic trainers who hold or have held a ...

-organized ''Big League Challenge'' home run derby in

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

Cashman Field Cashman Field is a stadium in downtown Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. It is primarily used for soccer as the home field of Las Vegas Lights FC of the USL Championship. Originally built as a baseball stadium, it was the home of the Triple-A ...

. He competed against a field of 12 that included notable sluggers such as

Barry Bonds Barry Lamar Bonds (born July 24, 1964) is an American former professional baseball left fielder who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Bonds was a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1986 to 1992 and the San Francisco Giants f ...

, Sammy Sosa, and Mike Piazza. Canseco won the tournament, defeating

in the final. The Devil Rays re-signed Canseco for the 2000 season on a $3-million contract. The Devil Rays traded for third baseman Vinny Castilla and signed Greg Vaughn as a free agent to complement

Fred McGriff Frederick Stanley McGriff (born October 31, 1963) is an American former first baseman in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played for six teams from 1986 through 2004. Nicknamed "Crime Dog", a word play on McGruff the Crime Dog, he was one of the ...

and Canseco in the lineup. However, injuries caused the Tampa Bay front office to disband the quartet after the trade deadline. The first half of the season was one of the most difficult in Canseco's career. Bothered by a foot injury, he missed 41 of the team's 85 games up to the All-Star break. Canseco ended his Tampa Bay tenure on August 7 when he was claimed off waivers by the

. In one and a half seasons with the Devil Rays, Canseco had a slash line of .272/.373/.525 with 43 home runs, 33 doubles, 125 runs batted in, and 176 hits on 174 games. At the time of the waivers' claim, Canseco's 440 career home runs were the most ever for any player acquired by the Yankees. The move to the Yankees caught many, including Yankees manager

Joe Torre Joseph Paul Torre Jr. (; born July 18, 1940) is an American professional baseball Senior management, executive and former player, Manager (baseball), manager, and television color commentator. He has served as a special assistant to the Commiss ...

, off guard, as the Yankees had other players at the time who fulfilled similar roles, such as Dave Justice and Glenallen Hill. Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman made the claim to prevent the Athletics, Red Sox, and Blue Jays, who were in a close race with the Yankees, from acquiring Canseco. On August 10, during his first game in the starting lineup with the Yankees, batting fourth as the DH, Canseco went 2-for-2 with a walk, a home run, 2 sacrifice flies, and 3 RBIs. He hit .243 with 6 home runs and 19 RBIs in 37 games for the Yankees, splitting duties as a DH, outfielder, and pinch hitter. For the entire season, he had 15 home runs and 49 RBIs in 329 at-bats. The Yankees won the AL East, but Canseco was not on the team's roster for the Division Series or the ALCS. He was, however, included in the final roster for the World Series against the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...

. During the sixth inning of Game 4 of the World Series, manager Joe Torre noticed that no right-handed pitcher was warming up in the Mets bullpen, and with pitcher David Cone next to bat, Torre sent Canseco to the plate to face left-handed Glendon Rusch as a pinch hitter (his most recent World Series at-bat was also as a pinch hitter in Game 4 of the 1990 World Series, 10 years prior). The game was the first in which Canseco had played in 24 days, and he struck out. The Yankees won the series 4 games to 1 and Canseco earned his second World Series ring. Canseco later called his Yankees tenure "the worst time of islife" due to receiving limited playing time. His short stint with the Yankees marked the third time he was Roger Clemens' teammate, a fact later magnified by the media due to the steroid controversy, the

Mitchell Report The ''Report to the Commissioner of Baseball of an Independent Investigation into the Illegal Use of Steroids and Other Performance Enhancing Substances by Players in Major League Baseball'', informally known as the Mitchell Report, is the res ...

, and the infamous pool party at Canseco's house two years prior while both played with the Blue Jays. In November, the Yankees declined Canseco's $5-million option and paid the $500,000 buyout, with Canseco becoming a free agent. On January 16, 2001, the Anaheim Angels signed Canseco to an incentive-laden deal heavily based on plate appearances. After only 39 spring training at-bats, in which he hit .231 and no home runs, the Angels cut Canseco. He lost the Anaheim DH spot to Glenallen Hill, with whom he shared at-bats for the Yankees the year prior. (Hill was released by the Angels in June, after hitting .136 with 1 home run in 16 games for the 2001 season, his last in the majors). Canseco spent half of the season with the

Newark Bears The Newark Bears were an American independent league professional baseball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They were a member of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball and, later, the Canadian American Association of Professional Bas ...

of the independent Atlantic League, alongside his twin brother Ozzie Canseco, before joining the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

on June 21 to replace Frank Thomas as the every day designated hitter. Wearing jersey number 31 during his first game back in the majors since the 2000 World Series, he went 1-for-5 with a double as the DH, hitting fifth in the lineup. He had 3 RBIs in his second game of the season. His first home run came on June 26 against the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...

. During the season he had two 2-homer games, one on July 8 and another on August 1. He finished the season playing in 76 games, hitting 16 home runs and 49 RBIs in only 256 at-bats, a pace of 30+ home runs and 100+ RBIs had he played the entire season. His last home run of the season was the 462nd for his career, and came against Mike Mussina of the New York Yankees, putting Canseco just 38 home runs away from reaching the 500-home run milestone, at age 37. In the spring of 2002, Canseco was signed to a minor league contract by the

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos () were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in the National League (baseball), National League ...

, who were at the time owned by Major League Baseball, had Omar Minaya as general manager and

Frank Robinson Frank Robinson (August 31, 1935 – February 7, 2019), nicknamed "the Judge", was an American professional baseball outfielder and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played for five teams over 21 seasons: the Cincinnati Reds (1956–196 ...

as manager. Despite making only 13 appearances in the outfield in the previous three years, he was expected to be the Expos' left fielder, and the designated hitter during inter-league play, in what would have been Canseco's first time playing for a National League club. He played 14 preseason games, batting .200 with 3 home runs (tied for the team lead) and 5 RBIs. However, he was again released prior to the regular season start, this time four days before Opening Day. The Expos invited Canseco to be part of their Triple-A team, but he declined the offer. With Opening Day scheduled for March 31, Canseco did not find a team looking for a DH and signed a minor league contract with a White Sox affiliate, the

Charlotte Knights The Charlotte Knights are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. They are located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and play their home games at Truist Field ...

, for whom he hit .172 with 5 home runs in 18 minor league games. Only 38 home runs shy of 500 for his career, Canseco officially announced his retirement from Major League Baseball on May 13, 2002. At the time of his retirement, Canseco had 1,942 career strikeouts, second all time only to Reggie Jackson. By the end of the 2024 season, he is 10th on the all-time list for hitters with the most strikeouts. At 39 years old he made a brief comeback attempt in 2004, attending an open tryout with the Los Angeles Dodgers, but was not offered a spot with the team nor with any of their minor league affiliates.

Independent League career (2006–2018)

On June 29, 2006, the independent Golden Baseball League announced that Canseco had agreed to a contract to play with the San Diego Surf Dawgs. After playing one game for the Surf Dawgs, Canseco was traded to the Long Beach Armada on July 5, 2006. He requested the trade due to "family obligations." On July 31, 2006, Canseco won the Golden Baseball League's Home Run Derby. Canseco signed a short team deal with the Laredo Broncos of the United Baseball League on August 14, 2010. He served as bench coach and designated hitter. On April 11, 2011, Canseco signed a deal as a player/manager for the Yuma Scorpions of the North American League. At the age of 46, he played 64 out of 88 games and batted .258 with 8 home runs and 46 RBIs. He was not the oldest player on the team: his twin brother Ozzie appeared in 12 games, mostly as a designated hitter, and 52-year-old

Tony Phillips Keith Anthony Phillips (April 25, 1959 – February 17, 2016) was an American professional baseball utility player who had an 18-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career from 1982 to 1999. He played regularly at second base, but also had signifi ...

appeared in 24 games, mostly as a third baseman. Canseco joined the Quintana Roo Tigres of 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 ...

in 2012, but was reportedly banned for using testosterone. During his tryout, he went 4 for 11 with a home run, 4 RBI and 3 walks. After the series, he gave himself the nickname ''El Cubano Cañonero'' ("the Cuban Cannon"). On April 20, 2012, the Worcester Tornadoes of the Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball announced that they had signed Canseco to a one-season contract for a salary of one thousand dollars a month. In the beginning of August 2012, Canseco left the Tornadoes due to concerns of not receiving his salary, a conflict which led him to sue the team. Canseco quickly signed with the

Rio Grande Valley WhiteWings The Rio Grande Valley WhiteWings was a professional baseball team based in Harlingen, Texas, in the United States. The WhiteWings was a member of United League Baseball, an independent professional league which is not affiliated with Major Leagu ...

of the North American League. However, his debut was delayed due to a family emergency. In early 2013 Canseco played in the Texas Winter League but was only 3-for-16 at the plate. He signed with the

Fort Worth Cats The Fort Worth Cats was a professional baseball team based in Fort Worth, Texas, in the United States. The Cats were a member of the South Division of the now disbanded United League Baseball, which was not affiliated with Major League Baseba ...

of the United League to start the 2013 season. In 2015, 2016, and 2017, Canseco had short playing stints in the

Pacific Association The Pacific Association of Professional Baseball Clubs was an independent baseball league based in Northern California. The league was founded in 2013 by four former North American League teams. History During the initial season, two Hawaii- ...

, mostly with the Pittsburg Diamonds. Although he has not played Major League Baseball since 2001, Canseco has played for numerous minor-league teams over the years, most recently in 2018, when he was 53 years of age, for the Normal CornBelters of the Independent

Frontier League The Frontier League (FL; French: ''Ligue Frontière'', LF) is a professional baseball league in North America composed of 18 teams – 15 in the United States and 3 in Canada. The FL is one of the eight independent baseball leagues in North Ame ...

. In recent years, he has usually played just a few games per season, but in 2011, he played 64 out of 88 games for the Yuma Scorpions of the North American League. Canseco played 30 seasons of professional

over a span of 36 years between 1982 and 2018.

Amateur Adult Baseball (2011 and 2016)

In March 2011, Canseco played a few games with the Valley Rays in the Pacific Coast Baseball League in Los Angeles. In May 2016, Canseco made an appearance for the SoCal Glory in the 35+ MSBL Las Vegas Open – National Tournament.

Performance-enhancing drugs

In 2005, Canseco admitted to using

anabolic steroid Anabolic steroids, also known as anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS), are a class of drugs that are structurally related to testosterone, the main male sex hormone, and produce effects by binding to the androgen receptor (AR). Anabolism, Anaboli ...

s with Jorge Delgado, Damaso Moreno, and Manuel Collado in a tell-all book, '' Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant 'Roids, Smash Hits & How Baseball Got Big''. Canseco also claimed that up to 85% of major league players took steroids, a figure disputed by many in the game. In the book, Canseco specifically identified former teammates

, Jason Giambi,

, and Juan González as fellow steroid users, and admitted that he injected them. Most of the players named in the book initially denied steroid use, though Giambi admitted to steroid use in testimony before a grand jury investigating the BALCO case and on January 11, 2010, McGwire admitted publicly to using steroids. At a Congressional hearing on the subject of steroids in sports, Palmeiro categorically denied using performance-enhancing drugs, while McGwire repeatedly refused to answer questions on his own suspected use, saying he "didn't want to talk about the past". Canseco's book became a ''New York Times'' bestseller. On August 1, 2005, Palmeiro was suspended for 10 days by Major League Baseball after testing positive for steroids. On December 13, 2007, Canseco and Jorge Delgado were cited in the

(''The Report to the Commissioner of Baseball of an Independent Investigation into the Illegal Use of Steroids and Other Performance Enhancing Substances by Players in Major League Baseball)''. On December 20, 2007, Canseco was also named in

Jason Grimsley Jason Alan Grimsley (born August 7, 1967) is an American former Major League Baseball relief pitcher who played for seven teams during a 15-year career. He was a member of both the 1999 and 2000 World Series champion New York Yankees. Major Leag ...

's unsealed affidavit as a user of steroids. Canseco and Grimsley were teammates on the 2000 New York Yankees. On December 30, 2007, it was announced that Canseco had reached a deal for his sequel to '' Juiced''. The sequel is titled '' Vindicated'', which hit bookstores by Opening Day 2008. This book has information on

Alex Rodriguez Alexander Emmanuel Rodriguez (born July 27, 1975), nicknamed "A-Rod", is an American former professional baseball shortstop, third baseman and designated hitter and current businessman. Rodriguez played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (ML ...

and Albert Belle, as suggested by Canseco. Canseco said the book was a "clarification" of names that should have been mentioned in the

. In 2010, Canseco spoke out against PEDs advocating baseball's youth to not try them, and criticized their effectiveness overall: "These kids don't need steroids to become players...we overemphasize the steroids and not the athletic ability and skills of these people. We're taking away the hard work the athlete puts in and saying he became great just because of steroids. Let me give you a perfect example. I have an identical twin brother, Ozzie. He is the closest thing to me genetically. And in my prime, I was a super athlete." "My twin brother used the same chemicals, same workouts, the same nutrition. Why didn't he make it in the big leagues? That is the perfect example that we are giving steroids way too much credit. If steroids are that great, it would have made him a superstar." In a 2012

Sportsnet Sportsnet is a Television in Canada, Canadian English-language Discretionary service, discretionary sports broadcasting, sports specialty channel owned by Rogers Sports & Media. It was established in 1998 as CTV Sportsnet, a joint venture betw ...

Interview article, Canseco said one of his only seasons without performance-enhancing drugs was in 1998 with the

because he was in the process of a divorce and "didn't want to use steroids while handling breakup-induced depression".

Outside baseball

While still a player, he was a guest star on ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...

'' in '' Homer at the Bat'' and '' Nash Bridges''. Since his retirement, Canseco has appeared on ''

Late Show with David Letterman ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by Letterman's production com ...

'', ''

60 Minutes ''60 Minutes'' is an American television news magazine broadcast on the CBS television network. Debuting in 1968, the program was created by Don Hewitt and Bill Leonard, who distinguished it from other news programs by using a unique style o ...

'', ''The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch'', '' Boomer and Carton'', ''

The Howard Stern Show ''The Howard Stern Show'' is an American radio show hosted by Howard Stern that gained wide recognition when it was radio syndication, nationally syndicated on terrestrial radio from WINS-FM, WXRK in New York City, between 1986 and 2005. The sho ...

'', ''

Jimmy Kimmel Live! ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'', sometimes shortened to ''JKL'', is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, and broadcast on ABC. The nightly hour-long show tapes and is based out of the Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywo ...

'', ''CMI: The Chris Myers Interview'', and '' Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List''. In 2003, he was featured in the reality-TV special ''Stripper's Ball:

Jenna Jameson Jenna Marie Massoli (born April 9, 1974), known professionally as Jenna Jameson (), is an American businesswoman, writer, television personality, and former pornographic film actress. She has been named the world's most famous adult entertainm ...

'' with

Dennis Rodman Dennis Keith Rodman (born May 13, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player. Renowned for his defensive and rebounding abilities, his biography on the official NBA website states that he is "arguably the best rebounding forw ...

and

Magic Johnson Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. (born August 14, 1959) is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. Often regarded as the greatest point guard of all time, Johnson List of NBA players who have spent their entire career w ...

. He was a cast member in Season 5 of '' The Surreal Life'' with Janice Dickinson, Pepa of

Salt-N-Pepa Salt-N-Pepa (sometimes stylized as Salt 'N' Pepa) is an American hip-hop, hip hop group formed in New York City in 1985, that comprised Salt (rapper), Salt (Cheryl James), Pepa (rapper), Pepa (Sandra Denton), and DJ Spinderella (Deidra Roper). ...

Bronson Pinchot Bronson Alcott Pinchot (; born May 20, 1959) is an American actor. He is best known for playing Balki Bartokomous on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC sitcom ''Perfect Strangers (TV series), Perfect Strangers'' (1986–1993). He also perform ...

, Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth,

Caprice Bourret Caprice Bourret (born October 24, 1971) is an American businesswoman, singer, model, actress and television personality. She runs her companies, By Caprice and JJLove Productions. She has appeared in over 300 Films and TV Shows Modelling Bour ...

, and Carey Hart. Canseco has a film cameo playing himself in the 2017

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

drama '' Slamma Jamma'' as a judge in a

slam dunk A slam dunk, also simply known as a dunk, is a type of basketball shot that is performed when a player jumps in the air, controls the ball above the horizontal plane of the rim, and scores by shoving the ball directly through the basket with on ...

competition. In 2007, he received 6

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

votes. This accounted for 1.1% of the ballots, failing to reach the 5% threshold necessary to stay on the ballot for another year. However, he can be elected to the Hall of Fame by the Committee of Baseball Veterans. In 2008,

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

sportscaster and former NFL

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player Vai Sikahema accepted a challenge from Canseco. The fight took place on July 12 in

Atlantic City Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city in Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of the Atlantic City- Hammonton metropolitan sta ...

at the Bernie Robbins stadium. The Sikahema knocked out the Canseco in the first round. Canseco earned $35,000 for the fight. On January 24, 2009, Canseco fought radio personality and former child actor

Danny Bonaduce Dante Daniel Bonaduce (; born August 13, 1959) is an American retired radio personality, actor, television personality and professional wrestler. Bonaduce is the son of veteran TV writer and producer Joseph Bonaduce ('' The Dick Van Dyke Show'' ...

in Aston Township, Pennsylvania; the three-round match ended in a

majority draw A majority draw is an outcome in several full-contact combat sports, including boxing, mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting combat sport, sport based on strike (attack), striking and grappling; incorporatin ...

. Canseco claims to hold black belts in

karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ), also , is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tī'' in Okinawan) un ...

and

taekwondo Taekwondo (; ; ) is a Korean martial art and combat sport involving primarily kicking techniques and punching. "Taekwondo" can be translated as ''tae'' ("strike with foot"), ''kwon'' ("strike with hand"), and ''do'' ("the art or way"). In ad ...

, and to practice

Muay Thai Muay Thai or Muaythai (, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, the Art of Eight Limbs or the Science of Eight Limbs, is a Thai martial art and full-contact combat sport that uses stand-up striking, sweeps, and various clinch fighting, cl ...

, as well as describing himself as "an expert with nunchakus". He made his

debut at Dream 9 on May 26, 2009, where he fought kickboxer Hong-man Choi as part of Dream's Super Hulk Tournament. Canseco would lose the fight after slipping, and tapping out to Choi's ground and pound. On November 6, 2009, Canseco defeated Todd Poulton in a Celebrity Boxing Federation bout in Springfield, Massachusetts. As of December 2010, he had launched a Twitter campaign in hopes of getting invited to spring training by Mets GM Sandy Alderson. Beginning March 6, 2011, Canseco was a contestant on '' The Celebrity Apprentice''. He quit the show on April 3, 2011, citing his father's ailing health. Canseco later announced on Twitter that his father died shortly after he left the show. Canseco did earn $25,000 for his charity, the Baseball Assistance Team. In 2012, Canseco accepted a home run derby challenge by Canadian semi-pro baseball player Evan Malamud, father of 3 boys on the autism spectrum, as part of a fundraiser for an initiative called Home Runs For Autism. Canseco still remains active with the charity as their spokesperson. He is also a columnist for ''

Vice A vice is a practice, behaviour, Habit (psychology), habit or item generally considered morally wrong in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character trait, a defect, an infirmity, or a bad or unhe ...

'' magazine. Lane Patorti and Edward Stoney Landon finished a reality show concept based on former professional athletes being placed into small-town sports leagues. TMZ reported Canseco was in talks to star in the show, ''A League of His Own''. In May 2013, Canseco provided the foreword to the novel ''Air Force Gator 2: Scales of Justice'' by Dan Ryckert. In it, he claims the book about the alcoholic alligator pilot is a "weakly veiled" metaphor for his own life. On October 28, 2014, Canseco accidentally shot himself on his left hand and injured one of his fingers while attempting to clean his gun at home in Las Vegas. During surgery, doctors were able reattach his finger with a piece of bone from his hip. Canseco was also portrayed by Andy Samberg in '' The Unauthorized Bash Brothers Experience'' alongside

(portrayed by

Akiva Schaffer Akiva Daniel Shebar Schaffer (; born December 1, 1977) is an American writer, producer, director, comedian, actor, and musician. He is a member of the comedy music group The Lonely Island, along with childhood friends Andy Samberg and Jorma Tacc ...

). The visual poem describes the two baseball players' careers and rampant steroid use in the 1980s. On October 26, 2019, Canseco opened up his own car wash in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he signs autographs every Wednesday. On February 5, 2021, Canseco fought Billy Football from

Barstool Sports Barstool Sports is an American blog website and digital media company headquartered in New York City that publishes sports journalism and pop culture-related content. It is owned by Dave Portnoy, who founded the company in 2003 in Milton, Massa ...

in a boxing match, and was knocked out in the first round. In August 2024, Canseco was inducted into the Oakland Athletics Hall of Fame.

Legal issues and controversies

On February 10, 1989, Canseco was arrested in Florida for reckless driving after allegedly leading an officer on a 15-mile chase. He was found guilty and fined $500. On April 11, 1989, Canseco was arrested in California for carrying a loaded semi-automatic pistol in his car. He was released on $2,500 bail and pleaded no contest. On February 13, 1992, Canseco was charged with aggravated battery for ramming his

Porsche Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, usually shortened to Porsche (; see below), is a German automobile manufacturer specializing in luxury, high-performance sports cars, SUVs and sedans, headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Th ...

into a

BMW Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, trading as BMW Group (commonly abbreviated to BMW (), sometimes anglicised as Bavarian Motor Works), is a German multinational manufacturer of vehicles and motorcycles headquartered in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Th ...

driven by his then-wife Esther Canseco after a verbal altercation. On March 19, 1992, Canseco pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated assault and later underwent counseling and fulfilled a community-service requirement. In November 1997, Canseco was arrested for beating his then-wife Jessica Canseco. In January 1998, he pleaded no contest and was sentenced to one year of probation and required to attend counseling. In October 2001, Canseco and his brother, Ozzie, got into a fight with two men at a

Miami Beach Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida. The municipality is located on natural and human-made barrier islands between the Atlantic Ocean an ...

nightclub that left one man with a broken nose and another needing 20 stitches in his lip; both were charged with two counts of aggravated battery. The brothers both pleaded guilty and received both probation and community service. Following his retirement in May 2002, Canseco speculated about having been "blackballed" from

; it was then he announced he was writing a tell-all book about his baseball career and the increasing usage of

anabolic steroids Anabolic steroids, also known as anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS), are a class of drugs that are structurally related to testosterone, the main male sex hormone, and produce effects by binding to the androgen receptor (AR). Anabolic steroids ...

in baseball. In March 2003, Canseco missed a court appearance while in California working out a custody dispute over his 6-year-old child. The judge revoked his probation and sentenced him to two years under house arrest followed by three years' probation. In June 2003, Canseco was arrested at his home for probation violation after he tested positive for steroids. Canseco spent a month in jail without bail. In May 2008, Canseco revealed that he had lost his house in

Encino, California Encino is a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. History Etymology The name Encino is the misspelling in masculine of Encina, the Spanish language, Spanish word for "holm oak” (Quercus ilex). The Spanis ...

, to

foreclosure Foreclosure is a legal process in which a lender attempts to recover the balance of a loan from a borrower who has Default (finance), stopped making payments to the lender by forcing the sale of the asset used as the Collateral (finance), coll ...

saying his two divorces had cost him $7 to $8 million each. On October 10, 2008, Canseco was detained by immigration officials at a San Diego border crossing as he tried to bring a fertility drug from Mexico. He stated the drug was to help with his hormone replacement therapy, needed due to his use of steroids. On November 4, 2008, Canseco pleaded guilty in Federal court and was sentenced to 12 months' unsupervised probation by U.S. Magistrate Judge Ruben B. Brooks. The 2008

A&E Network A&E (an initialism of its original name, the Arts & Entertainment Network) is an American cable and satellite television network and the flagship property of A&E Networks, a joint venture between Hearst Communications and the Walt Disney Company ...

documentary ''Jose Canseco: Last Shot'' chronicles Canseco's attempts to end his steroid use. In it, he also regrets ever writing his tell-all books and naming former teammates as steroid users, as he was never given the opportunity to participate in MLB-affiliated baseball events. Since then, he has tried unsuccessfully to reach out to former Bash Brother Mark McGwire and other ex-teammates. In 2014, he returned to the Oakland Coliseum to take part in the reunion celebrating the 25th anniversary of the 1989 World Series championship team; this marked the first time Canseco took part in an official Major League Baseball event in almost 13 years. Mark McGwire, at the time coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers, did not attend the event. On May 22, 2013, Canseco was named as a suspect in a rape allegation in Las Vegas. He broke the news himself on

Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...

, denying the allegations by posting pictures and information about his accuser, and accusing her of lying. On June 7, 2013, the case against Canseco was closed following an investigation, and he was not charged.

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 0–1 , Hong Man Choi , TKO (submission to punches) , Dream 9 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:17 ,

Yokohama is the List of cities in Japan, second-largest city in Japan by population as well as by area, and the country's most populous Municipalities of Japan, municipality. It is the capital and most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a popu ...

, Japan , DREAM Hulk Grand Prix Quarterfinal

References

External links

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Laredo Broncos Bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Canseco, José 1964 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Canada American identical twins American League All-Stars American League home run champions American League Most Valuable Player Award winners American League RBI champions American male mixed martial artists American shooting survivors American sportspeople in doping cases Baseball players from Havana Baseball players from Las Vegas Baseball players from Los Angeles Baseball players from Miami Boston Red Sox players Charlotte Knights players Chicago White Sox players Cuban emigrants to the United States Cuban expatriate baseball players in Canada Cuban expatriate baseball players in the United States Cuban male mixed martial artists Cuban sportspeople in doping cases Doping cases in baseball Fort Worth Cats players Heavyweight mixed martial artists Huntsville Stars players Idaho Falls A's players Identical twins Identical twin males Laredo Broncos players Long Beach Armada players Madison Muskies players Major League Baseball designated hitters Major League Baseball players from Cuba Major League Baseball controversies Major League Baseball right fielders Major League Baseball Rookie of the Year Award winners Medford A's players Miami Coral Park Senior High School alumni Miami Marlins (FSL) players Mixed martial artists from Florida Modesto A's players New York Yankees players Newark Bears players Normal CornBelters players Oakland Athletics players Participants in American reality television series Pawtucket Red Sox players People convicted of battery San Diego Surf Dawgs players Silver Slugger Award winners Tacoma Tigers players Tampa Bay Devil Rays players Texas Rangers players Toronto Blue Jays players Worcester Tornadoes players Yuma Scorpions players 20th-century American sportsmen 20th-century Cuban sportsmen 30–30 club