jose canseco

Two-time World Series winner José Canseco is a Cuban-American former Major League Baseball outfielder and designated hitter. Also known as Parkway Jose, Mr. 40-40, and El Caonero Cubano (The Cuban Cannon), he established himself as one of the game’s best power hitters during his tenure with the Oakland Athletics. He was a six-time All-Star and was named Rookie of the Year in 1986 and Most Valuable Player in 1988. Canseco won his two World Series rings with the Oakland Athletics (1989) and the New York Yankees (2000).

Canseco made history in 1988 by being the first player to hit 40 home runs and steal 40 bases in the same season. He won the Silver Slugger award four times, once as a designated hitter and three times as an AL outfielder. He has 254 career home runs and is one of only 14 players in MLB history to have 400 home runs and 200 stolen bases. Despite his numerous injuries in the latter part of his career, Canseco averaged 40 home runs, 120 RBIs, and 102 runs scored per 162 games over 17 seasons with seven different organizations.

Canseco was the first player in Major League history to hit 30 home runs for four separate teams: Oakland (1986–88, 1990, 1991), Texas (1994), Toronto (1998), and Tampa Bay (1999). Fred McGriff and Gary Sheffield later broke the record by doing it for five different teams. Canseco admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs during his major-league career and said in a 2005 book, Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant ‘Roids, Smash Hits & How Baseball Got Big, that the vast majority of MLB players use steroids. He also fought in boxing and mixed martial arts after retiring from Major League Baseball. Canseco’s 462 career home runs put him 37th in MLB history as of 2022.