Jose Canseco
José Canseco Capas Jr. is a Cuban-American former professional baseball outfielder and designated hitter who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball. 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, and Most Valuable Player award, and was a six-time All-Star. Canseco is a two-time World Series champion with the Oakland Athletics and the New York Yankees.
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 four times: three as an American League outfielder, and once as a designated hitter. He ranks fourth all-time in Athletics history with 254 home runs and is one of 14 players in MLB history with 400 home runs and 200 stolen bases. Despite many injuries during the later part of his career, Canseco averaged 40 home runs, 120 runs batted in, and 102 runs scored 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. For the length of his career Canseco had the 3rd most home runs in Major League Baseball, behind only Mark McGwire and Barry Bonds. He’s the 7th lowest drafted player in MLB history ever to win an MVP Award.
Canseco admitted using performance-enhancing drugs 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. After retiring from MLB, he also competed in boxing and mixed martial arts.
Early life
Canseco was born in Havana, Cuba, the son of José Sr. and Barbara Canseco. He has a twin brother, Ozzie Canseco, who is also a former major league player. When Fidel Castro came into power in 1959, José 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 one year old, and settled in the Miami area, where José Sr. became a territory manager for another oil and gasoline company, Amoco.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 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, Modesto A's, and Tacoma Tigers. Canseco started the 1985 season with the Class-AA Huntsville Stars and became known as "Parkway José" for his long home runs 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.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 Oakland Athletics. He made his Major League debut on September 2, striking 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, 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, 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, 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 American League'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 and runs batted in 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 home runs, 117 RBIs, 29 doubles, and 15 stolen bases helped him win the American League Rookie of the Year award, defeating California Angels first baseman Wally Joyner. He also finished 20th in the American League MVP ballot.
In 1987, first baseman Mark McGwire 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". 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, and 35 doubles in 691 at-bats, 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, 267 putouts, 12 assists, and 3 double plays. 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 the most spectacular batting duo in the upcoming years, drawing comparisons to the likes of Mickey Mantle/Roger Maris, Willie Mays/Willie McCovey, and Hank Aaron/Eddie Mathews.
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 and Don Baylor, as well as outfielder Dave Henderson, and third baseman Carney Lansford, 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 at Exhibition Stadium 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, 22 stolen bases, and 67 RBIs. 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, hitting 2 homers. On September 18, he hit his 40th home run of the year against the Kansas City Royals in front of the Oakland crowd. Five days later against the Milwaukee Brewers, 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 who had 4 saves in 4 chances. The A's met the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series, 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. 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, 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 Most Valuable Player in 1988 with a.307 batting average, 120 runs scored, and 347 total bases, and leading the major leagues with 76 extra-base hits, 124 RBIs, 42 home runs, a.569 slugging percentage, and a 14.5 home run per at-bat ratio. His 40 stolen bases 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 Silver Slugger Award. 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 Toronto Blue Jays in his first game of the season. He hit 5 home runs in his first 35 at bats, 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 World Series since 1974, beating the San Francisco Giants 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. 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.
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. 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 California Angels, 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 and teammate Mark McGwire. 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 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. 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 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 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, Joe Carter, and Rubén Sierra as the reserve outfielders. Canseco not being selected by his own manager despite leading the league in home runs and having his best season in three years, 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 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, 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 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.