José Canseco Capas Jr. (born July 2, 1964) is a Cuban-American former Major League Baseball (MLB) outfielder and designated hitter. During his time with the Oakland Athletics, he established himself as one of the premier power hitters in the game. He won the Rookie of the Year (1986), and Most Valuable Player award (1988), and was a six-time All-Star. Canseco is a two-time World Series winner with the Oakland A’s (1989) and the New York Yankees (2000).
In 1988 Canseco became the first player to hit 40 home runs and steal 40 bases in one season and won the Silver Slugger award four times: three as an AL outfielder (1988, 1990, 1991), and once as a designated hitter (1998).
He ranks 4th all time in A’s history with 254 home runs and is one of 14 players in MLB history with 400 home runs and 200 stolen bases. Despite his many injuries during the later part of his career, Canseco averaged 40 home runs, 120 RBIs and 102 runs scored every 162 games.
How Jose Canseco Started His Early Life
Canseco was born in Havana, Cuba, the son of Jose Sr. and Barbara Canseco. He has a twin brother Ozzie, who is also a former major league player. When Fidel Castro came into power in 1959, Jose Sr., a territory manager for the oil and gasoline corporation Esso 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 1 year old, and settled in the Miami area, where Jose Sr. became a territory manager for another oil and gasoline concern, Amoco, and a part-time security guard.
The younger Jose 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.[1]
The Baseball Career Jose Canseco In (1982–2001)
The Oakland Athletics drafted Canseco in the 15th round of the 1982 Major League Baseball draft. He made his professional baseball debut with the Miami Marlins of the Florida State League and also played Minor League Baseball with the Medford A’s, Madison Muskies, Idaho Falls A’s, and the Modesto A’s, along with the Tacoma Tigers.
Canseco started the 1985 season with the Class-AA Huntsville Stars and became known as “Parkway Jose” 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. Oakland A’s hitting coach Bob Watson said that Canseco was a mixture of Roberto Clemente, Dale Murphy, and Reggie Jackson. Others touted Canseco as the next Mickey Mantle.
Jose Canseco In Major League Baseball (1985–2001)
In 1985, Canseco won the Baseball America Minor League Player of the Year Award, and was a late season call-up for the Oakland Athletics.
He made his Major League debut on September 2 and struck out in his one at-bat against the Baltimore Orioles.
His first hit was off Ron Guidry of the New York Yankees on September 7.[6] 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. He established himself in 1986, his first full season, being named the American League’s Rookie of the Year (the first by an Athletic since Harry Byrd in 1952 with what were then the Philadelphia Athletics), with 33 home runs and 117 RBIs.
In 1987, Mark McGwire joined Canseco on the Athletics; McGwire hit 49 home runs that year and was also named the American League Rookie of the Year. Together, he and Canseco formed a fearsome offensive tandem, known as the “Bash Brothers”.
Jose Canseco Texas Rangers (1992–94)
On August 31, 1992, in the middle of a game 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, the A’s were leading the American League West Division by 6 1/2 games, and 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 sent shockwaves throughout Major League Baseball, as Canseco was considered at the time the best player and baseball’s most scrutinized celebrity.
From 1986 until the time of the trade no other player had hit more home runs (226) in the major leagues. In Texas Canseco joined Latino stars Rafael Palmeiro, Juan González and Iván Rodríguez.
Boston Red Sox (1995–1996)
After playing with the Rangers from 1992 to 1994, Canseco moved on to play with the Boston Red Sox in 1995 along with Roger Clemens and Mo Vaughn.
The Red Sox captured the AL East Division title to advance to the ALDS, making it Canseco’s first postseason in 5 years. During the regular season, he hit 24 home runs with a .306 batting average, his highest since 1988.
His last home run of the ’95 season against Jesse Orosco was the 300th of his career.
Canseco had a great first half to the 1996 season, hitting 26 home runs by the All-Star break, but he was sidelined during August and part of September due to a back injury. He finished the season with 28 homers in 96 games.
How Jose Canseco Return to Oakland (1997)
In January 1997, he was traded to the Oakland Athletics, reuniting him with Bash Brother Mark McGwire. Health-wise, he had a promising start to the season, playing in 83 games in the first half with 18 home runs by the All-Star break but he suffered a back injury yet again.
In his book Juiced, Canseco mentioned that upon his return from injury during the ’97 season, he was informed by manager Art Howe that the front office instructed him not to play Canseco to prevent him from getting the minimum plate appearances that would trigger the renewal of his contract for the following year.
Canseco’s 23 home runs that season gave him a total of 254 in an A’s uniform, placing him 4th in franchise history.
Jose Canseco In Toronto Blue Jays (1998)
After signing a one-year/$3.8 million contract, Canseco had a productive season again with the Toronto Blue Jays in 1998 playing alongside former Red Sox teammate Roger Clemens. For the first time in his career he wore a number other than his traditional #33, switching to #44 for the first part of the season (long-time Blue Jay and World Series hero Ed Sprague wore #33 for the Jays until he was traded later in the ’98 season).
He finished the season playing 151 games, his highest in 8 years. Splitting duties as DH and in the outfield, he hit a career-high 46 home runs, 3rd best in the AL, and stole 29 bases, the most he had stolen since the 40 he stole in 1988. He also led the league in strikeouts with 159.
He won the AL Silver Slugger award (4th of his career) but his comeback was missed by most fans because of the home run race in the National League between Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa.
Final seasons (1999–2001)
Despite hitting a career-high 46 home runs in 1998, Canseco drew minimal attention in the free agent market. In 1999, he signed a three-year contract with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
The contract included a clause stating that if Canseco were to be elected to the Hall of Fame he would be depicted as a member of the Devil Rays. That year he took the American League by storm, hitting 10 home runs in April, and leading the AL with 31 by the All-Star break, including number 400 for his career against Toronto’s Kelvim Escobar.
On pace for 60+ homers for the season, he was voted to the AL All-Star team as the starting DH for the American League, making his first All Star selection in 7 years.
However, he injured his back days before the mid-summer classic and missed the game, as well as the Home Run Derby in Fenway Park. He finished the season with 34 home runs for the 1999 season.
In February 2000 before the start of spring training for the following MLB season, Canseco played in the MLBPA organized Big League Challenge Home run derby in Las Vegas at Cashman Field.
He competed against a field of 12 that included notable sluggers such as Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, and Mike Piazza.
Canseco won the tournament, defeating Rafael Palmeiro in the final.
Canseco began the 2000 season with the Devil Rays, hitting only 9 home runs in 61 games, and, by August, was claimed off waivers by the New York Yankees, which caught many, including Yankees manager Joe Torre, off guard, as the Yankees had four other players who fulfilled a similar role to Canseco.
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.
Independent League career (2006–present)
On June 29, 2006, the independent Golden Baseball League announced Canseco had agreed to a one-year contract to play with the San Diego Surf Dawgs.
The League said Canseco had agreed to be subjected to its drug-testing policy “that immediately expels any players found using steroids or illegal drugs.”
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 RBI. 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 appeared in 24 games, mostly as a third baseman.
Canseco joined the Quintana Roo Tigres of the Mexican League in 2012, but was reportedly banned for using testosterone.
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[28] 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 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.[32] He signed with the Fort Worth Cats of the United League to start the 2013 season.
In 2015, 2016 and 2017, Canseco had short playing stints in the Pacific Association, mostly with the Pittsburg Diamonds.[34] He played three games for the Frontier League’s Normal CornBelters in 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.
Jose Canseco Performance-enhancing drugs
In 2005, Canseco admitted to using anabolic steroids 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.
How Jose Canseco Achieved His Net Worth And Salary
He is a Cuba-born retired American baseball player who has a net worth of $800,000 US Dollars equivalent to about €7900,000 in Euro currency.
More information about his sport Records can be found here on CNN.
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