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First round selections[link]

The following are the first round picks in the 1974 Major League Baseball draft.^[1]

* Did not sign

Background[link]

With the number one pick of the June regular phase, San Diego tabbed infielder Bill Almon from Brown University, one of six shortstops selected in round one. Twelve of the first 13 and a total of 16 first round selections went on to become major leaguers, including Lonnie Smith (Philadelphia), Dale Murphy (Atlanta), Garry Templeton (St. Louis), Lance Parrish (Detroit), Willie Wilson (Kansas City) and Rick Sutcliffe (Los Angeles).

Three players from the June regular phase were among the ones who got away. Pitcher Bob Welch (Chicago Cubs, 14th round), infielder Paul Molitor (St. Louis, 28th round) and pitcher Eric Show (Minnesota, 36th round) turned down pro offers for college scholarships.

Other notable players[link]

This section is empty. You can help by adding to it.

External links[link]

• Complete draft list from The Baseball Cube database

Notes[link]

References[link]

The First-Year Player Draft, also known as the Rule 4 Draft, is Major League Baseball's primary mechanism for assigning amateur baseball players, from high schools, colleges, and other amateur baseball clubs, to its teams.^[1] The draft order is determined based on the previous season's standings, with the team possessing the worst record receiving the first pick. In addition, teams which lost free agents in the previous off-season may be awarded "compensatory" picks.

The first amateur draft was held in 1965. Unlike most sports drafts, the First-Year Player Draft is held mid-season, in June. Another distinguishing feature of this draft in comparison with those of other North American major professional sports leagues is its sheer size: under the new collective bargaining agreement the draft lasts 40 rounds, plus compensatory picks. In contrast, the NHL Entry Draft lasts seven rounds and roughly 215 picks, the NBA Draft lasts for only two rounds (60 selections) and the NFL Draft for only seven rounds (256 selections if no picks are forfeited).

The First-Year Player Draft has historically had far less media exposure than its counterparts in the other leagues for three primary reasons:

• High school and college baseball, the primary sources of MLB draftees, are not nearly as popular as college football, college basketball, and, in Canada and certain parts of the U.S., college and junior hockey. Consequently, most prospective top draft picks were unknown to the casual sports observer at the time of their draft. However, this is slowly changing: NCAA baseball has enjoyed a spike in popularity in the 2000s and top collegiate baseball players have enjoyed greater media exposure, though still far below that of their basketball and football counterparts.
• Unlike top draft picks in the NHL, NBA and NFL, all of whom are expected to make immediate impacts, top MLB draftees are nearly always assigned to the minor leagues for several years to hone their skills. The entire 2007 first round (64 players) totaled one inning of major league playing time as of the end of the 2008 season; as of the 2009 season, the vast majority of 2008 first-rounders were still assigned to minor league organizations. In contrast, every first-round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft had played in the league by the end of the 2008 season.
• While many NHL, NBA and NFL draftees will eventually reach their respective leagues, the vast majority of players selected in the First-Year Player Draft will never play in a single MLB game, including many first-rounders. For example, only 31 of 53 first-round draft picks in the 1997 draft eventually made a big-league appearance, and only 13 of those 30 appeared in more than 100 games as of 2009. In 1997's sixth round, only five of the 30 players selected eventually made a big league appearance, and only two of those five (Tim Hudson and Matt Wise) played more than 40 innings in the majors. Further illustrating the unpredictability of the draft's middle and later rounds, none of the 30 players selected in the 18th round ever reached the major leagues, but the 19th round eventually produced an all-star and World Series MVP, David Eckstein.

The 2007 Draft was televised live for the first time in the draft's history on Thursday June 17, 2007 from 2:00pm until 6:00pm EDT (1800 - 2200 hrs UTC).^[2] The Draft coverage took place at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando, Florida.

Before the draft[link]

Major League Baseball has used a draft to assign minor league players to teams since 1921.^[3][4] In 1936, the National Football League held the first amateur draft in professional sports.^[5] A decade later, the National Basketball Association instituted a similar method of player distribution. However, the player draft was controversial. Congressman Emanuel Celler questioned the legality of drafts during a series of hearings on the business practice of professional sports leagues in the 1950s.^[6] Successful clubs saw the draft as anti-competitive. Yankees executive Johnny Johnson equated it with communism.^[7] At the same time, Pulitzer Prize-winning sports columnist Arthur Daley compared the system to a "slave market."^[8]

Prior to the implementation of the First-Year Player Draft, amateurs were free to sign with any Major League team that offered them a contract. As a result, wealthier teams such as the New York Yankees and St. Louis Cardinals were able to stockpile young talent, while poorer clubs were left to sign less desirable prospects.^[9]

In 1947, Major League Baseball implemented the bonus rule, a restriction aimed at reducing player salaries, as well as keeping wealthier teams from monopolizing the player market.^[10] In its most restrictive form, it forbade any team which gave an amateur a signing bonus of more than $4,000 from assigning that player to a minor league affiliate for two seasons. If the player was removed from the major league roster, he became a free agent. The controversial legislation was repealed twice, only to be re-instituted.^[11]

The bonus rule was largely ineffective. There were accusations that teams were signing players to smaller bonuses, only to supplement them with under-the-table payments.^[8] In one famous incident, the Kansas City Athletics signed Clete Boyer, kept him on their roster for two years, then traded him to the Yankees just as he became eligible to be sent to the minor leagues. Other clubs accused the Yankees of using the Athletics as a de facto farm team, and the A's later admitted to signing Boyer on their behalf.^[12] Finally, it was the bidding war for Rick Reichardt, who signed with the Los Angeles Angels for the then outrageous bonus of $200,000 that led to the implementation of the draft.

Major League clubs voted on the draft during the 1964 Winter Meetings. Four teams — the New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Dodgers, and New York Mets — attempted to defeat the proposal, but they failed to convince a majority of teams, and in the end only the Cardinals voted against it.^[13]

The draft[link]

Major League Baseball's first amateur draft was held in June 1965. Teams chose players in reverse order of the previous season's standings, with picks alternating between the National and American Leagues.^[14] With the first pick, the Kansas City Athletics took Rick Monday, an outfielder for Arizona State University.

Originally, three separate drafts were held each year. The June draft, which was by far the largest, involved new high school graduates, as well as college seniors who had just finished their seasons. A second draft was held in January for high school and college players who graduated in the winter. Finally, there was a draft in August for players who participated in amateur summer leagues.^[14] The August draft was eliminated after only two years, while the January draft lasted until 1986.^[15]

Early on, the majority of players drafted came directly from high school. Between 1967 and 1971, only seven college players were chosen in the first round of the June draft.^[16] However, the college players who were drafted outperformed their high school counterparts by what statistician Bill James called "a laughably huge margin."^[17] In 1978, a majority of draftees had played college baseball, and by 2002, the number rose above sixty percent.^[16] While the number of high school players drafted has dropped, those picked have been more successful than their predecessors. In a study of drafts from 1984 to 1999, Baseball Prospectus writer Rany Jazayerli concluded that, by the 1990s, the gap in production between the two groups had nearly disappeared.^[18]

Economic impact[link]

Initially, the draft succeeded in reducing the value of signing bonuses. In 1964, a year before the first draft, University of Wisconsin outfielder Rick Reichardt was given a record bonus of $205,000 ($1,536,180 today) by the Los Angeles Angels. Without competition from other clubs, the Athletics were able to sign Rick Monday for a bonus of only $104,000. It would take until 1979 for a drafted player to receive a bonus higher than Reichardt's.^[19]

Player salaries continued to escalate through the 1980s. In 1986, Bo Jackson became the first draftee to sign a total contract (signing bonus and salary) worth over $1 million ($2,120,219 today).^[20] Jackson, a Heisman Trophy-winning football player for Auburn University, was also the first overall choice in the National Football League Draft, and was offered a $7 million ($14,841,530 today) contract to play football for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.^[21]

High school players possessed additional leverage, as they had the option of attending college and re-entering the draft the next year. Agent Scott Boras routinely exploited this advantage to increase the contracts of his clients. In 1990, Boras client Todd Van Poppel signed a $1.2 million ($2,134,692 today) contract with Oakland Athletics, after committing to play for the University of Texas. The following year, Boras negotiated a $1.55 million ($2,644,808 today) contract for Yankees first round pick Brien Taylor, who had said he would attend junior college if he didn't receive a contract equal to Van Poppel's.^[22] By June 2009, a figure as high as $15 million was floated for collegian pitcher Stephen Strasburg.^[23]

Increasingly, teams drafted based on whether or not a player was likely to sign for a particular amount of money, rather than on his talent. This became known as a "signability pick." Before the 1992 draft, team owners unilaterally decided to extend the period of time a team retained negotiating rights to a player from one year to five. In effect, the rule prohibited a high school draftee from attending college and re-entering the draft after his junior or senior seasons. The Major League Baseball Players Association filed a legal challenge, but Major League Baseball argued that, since the Players Association did not represent amateur players, it was not necessary for the union to agree to the change.^[24] An arbitrator ultimately decided that any change to draft articles must be negotiated with the Players Association.^[25]

Procedures and rules[link]

Eligibility[link]

To be drafted a player must fit the following criteria:

• Be a resident of the United States, Canada, or a U.S. territory such as Puerto Rico. Players from other countries are not subject to the draft, and can be signed by any team (unless they are current members of college teams in the aforementioned countries).
• Have never signed a major or minor league contract.
• High school players are eligible only after graduation, and if they have not attended college.
• Players at four-year colleges are eligible after completing their junior years, or after their 21st birthdays.
• Junior and community college players are eligible to be drafted at any time.

Draft order[link]

The general draft order is the reverse order of the previous year's standings. If two teams finish with identical records, the previous year's standings of the two teams is the tiebreaker, with the team having a worse record receiving the higher pick.

Negotiating rights[link]

Prior to 2007, a team retained the rights to sign a selected player until one week prior to the next draft, or until the player enters, or returns to, a four-year college on a full-time basis. Starting in 2007, the deadline for signing a drafted player is August 15. A selected player who enters a junior college cannot be signed until the conclusion of the school's baseball season. A player who is drafted and does not sign with the club that selected him may be drafted again at a future year's draft, so long as the player is eligible for that year's draft. A club may not select a player again in a subsequent year, unless the player has consented to the re-selection.

A player who is eligible to be selected and is passed over by every club becomes a free agent and may sign with any club, up until one week before the next draft, or until the player enters, or returns to, a four-year college full-time or enters, or returns to, a junior college. In the one-week period before any draft, which is called the "closed period", the general rule is that no club may sign a new player.

Compensatory picks[link]

Currently, teams can earn compensatory picks in the draft based on departing free agents. Free Agents are ranked by the Elias Sports Bureau based on their previous two years of playing, and against players of similar positions. Players are categorized as either Class A or Class B, or they fall into the category of all other players. Below is a description of each free agent class and the compensation the free agent's former team received when the player signs with a different team.

• A Class A free agent is ranked in the top 20 percent of players at his position. A team that signs a Type A player gives its top draft pick to the club that the player is leaving; that club also receives a supplemental pick in the "sandwich" round between the first and second rounds.^[26]

• A Class B free agent is ranked below the top 20 percent but in the top 40 percent of players at his position. A team that loses a Type B player receives a supplemental pick, but the signing team does not lose a pick.^[26]

• All other players carry no compensation at all. There had previously been a third class of "Type C" players, but that was eliminated in the most recent CBA.^[26]

To earn a compensatory pick, a free agent must either be signed before the arbitration deadline in early December, or be offered arbitration by their former team but still sign with someone else.

Compensatory picks that one team gives another via this method are the highest available pick that team has, with the exception of picks in the top half of the first round.^[27] These picks are protected from being used as compensation. If a team that picks in the top half of the first draft signs a Type A free agent, they would give up their second round pick. If a team owes two other teams draft picks via Type A free agents, the team whose departing player had a higher score gets the higher ranked pick. A team cannot lose picks it has earned via compensation.

The order of the supplemental round between the first and second rounds is determined by inverse order of the previous year's standings. All the Type A picks are done first, and then the order resets for all the Type B compensation picks.

Teams can also earn compensation for unsigned picks from the previous year's draft. If a team doesn't sign a first or second round pick, they will get to pick at the same slot plus one the following year. For example, if the team with the #5 pick does not sign that player, they would have the #6 pick the following year. The regular draft order would continue around those picks. For compensation for not signing a third round pick, teams would get a pick in a supplemental round between the third and fourth rounds. If a team fails to sign a player with one of these compensated picks, there is no compensation the following year.

Changes for 2012[link]

The adoption of a new collective bargaining agreement between MLB and its players union, starting with the 2012 season, will result in significant changes to the draft.

Free agent compensation[link]

For the 2012 draft, the current "Type A" and "Type B" designations remain in place, but the CBA included special provisions that modified the statuses of 11 players who were Type A free agents under the old CBA. Six of these will be "Modified Type A"—meaning that the signing team does not forfeit a draft pick, but the player's former team will receive a compensatory pick in the same position it would have earned under regular Type A rules. The remaining five will be "Modified Type B", with compensation identical to that for other Type B free agents.^[28]

After the 2012 draft, free agents will no longer be classified by "type". Instead, a team will only be able to receive compensation if it makes its former player an offer at least equal to the average of the 125 richest contracts.^[29] However, if a player is traded during the final season of his contract, his new team will be ineligible to receive any compensation.^[30]

Bonus pool[link]

Starting in 2012, each team will be allocated a "bonus pool" from which it can offer initial contracts to its drafted players. Each team's pool will be based on its draft position and number of picks, plus the amount spent in the previous year's draft. For the 2012 draft, these pools will range from $4.5 million to $11.5 million. If a team goes over its threshold by 5 percent or less, it must pay a "luxury tax" of 75% on the amount over the threshold. Teams that go 5 to 10 percent over must pay a 100% tax on the excess, and will lose their next first-round pick. A team that goes 15 percent over can lose its next two first-round picks, in addition to the "luxury tax".^[29] These excess picks will go to smaller-revenue teams via a yet-to-be-reported formula. Uniquely, these compensatory picks can be traded—marking the first time MLB has allowed trading of draft picks. However, the current rules against trading of regular picks, or picks awarded as free agent compensation, will remain in force.^[30]

Other changes[link]

Teams will no longer be able to offer major league contracts to their draft choices—only minor league contracts will be available. The only exception will be for drafted players who have scholarships in other sports.^[30] Also, the date for signing new picks moves from mid-August to mid-July.^[30]

See also[link]

• List of first overall Major League Baseball draft picks
• Rule 5 Draft

References[link]

External links[link]

• MLB.com official website
• MLB.com - Draft History
• MLB.com - Draft Rules

Paul Molitor
Designated hitter / Infielder
Born: (1956-08-22) August 22, 1956 (age 55) Saint Paul, Minnesota
Batted: Right	Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 7, 1978 for the Milwaukee Brewers
Last MLB appearance
September 27, 1998 for the Minnesota Twins
Career statistics
Batting average	.306
Hits	3,319
Home runs	234
Runs batted in	1,307
Stolen bases	504
Teams
Milwaukee Brewers (1978–1992) Toronto Blue Jays (1993–1995) Minnesota Twins (1996–1998)
Career highlights and awards
7× All-Star (1980, 1985, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994) World Series champion (1993) 4× Silver Slugger Award (1987, 1988, 1993, 1996) World Series MVP (1993) Babe Ruth Award (1993) Lou Gehrig Memorial Award (1997) Branch Rickey Award (1998) Hutch Award (1987) Milwaukee Brewers #4 retired Major League Baseball All-Time Team
Member of the National
Baseball Hall of Fame
Induction	2004
Vote	85.2% (first ballot)

Paul Leo Molitor (born August 22, 1956), nicknamed "Molly" and "The Ignitor", is an American former Major League Baseball designated hitter and infielder. During his 21-year baseball career, he played for the Milwaukee Brewers (1978–1992), Toronto Blue Jays (1993–1995), and Minnesota Twins (1996–1998). In 2004, he was elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, becoming one of the first players who spent a significant portion of his career as a designated hitter to be enshrined. He was known for his exceptional hitting and speed.

Career[link]

High school, college and the minors[link]

Molitor was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota. After graduating from Cretin-Derham Hall High School,^[1] he was selected in the 28th round of the 1974 free agent draft as a pitcher by the St. Louis Cardinals, but opted instead to attend college at the University of Minnesota. He was a three year starter for the Golden Gophers, earning All American honors as a shortstop for his sophomore and junior years. After his junior year in college, he was selected third overall in the 1978 free agent draft by the Milwaukee Brewers. He signed with the Brewers and began his professional career in Iowa, playing for the Class A Burlington Bees of the Midwest League.^[2]

Milwaukee Brewers[link]

Molitor played several positions during his career. He started out as a shortstop, then moved to second base when the briefly retired Robin Yount returned. Molitor then was moved to third base at the age of 25. During the latter half of his career, he was used primarily as a designated hitter, with occasional games at first base. He played 44% of his career games as a DH.^{[citation needed]}

Molitor was part of a young Milwaukee Brewers team that lost the 1982 World Series in seven games to the St. Louis Cardinals. Molitor batted .355 during the series. In Game 1, he had five hits, a World Series record. During the 1982 season, he hit .302 and led the American League with 136 runs scored. Molitor also attracted national media attention during his 39-game hitting streak, which ended with Molitor in the on-deck circle when Rick Manning got a game-ending hit to beat the Cleveland Indians on August 26, 1987. Fans booed Manning for driving in the winning run and thus depriving Molitor of one last chance to reach 40 games. The streak continues to stand as the fifth-longest in modern-day baseball history, and remains the longest since Pete Rose's 44-game hit streak in 1978.^[3] Although Molitor wanted to remain with Milwaukee when he became a free agent after the 1992 season, the franchise offered him a one year contract with a $900,000 pay cut (to $2.5 million), while the Toronto Blue Jays offered a three-year, $13 million ($27,000,000 in current dollar terms) deal, leading to his signing with the defending World Series champion Blue Jays.

Toronto Blue Jays[link]

Molitor quickly became an offensive juggernaut and was a key part of the Blue Jays' second World Championship. Molitor won the World Series MVP Award and tied a World Series record by batting .500 (12-24) in the six-game series. In 1993 Molitor led the AL in plate appearances, with 675, and hits (211).

In 1994, a strike-shortened season, Molitor led the AL in games played (115) and singles (107). He also stole 20 bases that season without ever being caught, one short of Kevin McReynolds' 1988 major league record of 21.^[4]

Minnesota Twins[link]

He left the Blue Jays after the 1995 season, and joined his hometown Minnesota Twins for the final three seasons of his career, where he acquired his 3,000th hit. He is the only player to reach the 3,000 hits plateau with a triple. Molitor was relishing the opportunity to play with Twins superstar Kirby Puckett, but Puckett developed career-ending glaucoma during spring training in 1996 and never played again. In 1996, Molitor became the second 40-year-old, after Hall of Famer Sam Rice, to have a 200-hit season, leading the league with 225, while also leading the league in singles with 167. Molitor also remains the last Major League player to drive in 100 or more runs in a season while hitting fewer than 10 home runs (9 HR, 113 RBIs).^[5] After retiring as a player, Molitor remained with the Twins as a bench coach for three seasons, and was considered a leading candidate to manage the team when Tom Kelly retired after the 2001 season, but declined in part because the Twins were still at the time being targeted for potential contraction. Molitor still remains relevant within the Twins organization.^[6]

Accomplishments[link]

Molitor's lifetime statistics include 2,683 games played, 1,782 runs scored, 3,319 hits, 234 home runs, 1,307 runs batted in, a .306 batting average, and 504 stolen bases. His 3,319 hits rank him ninth all-time. In addition, he batted .368 in 5 postseason series, and was an all-star seven times. Molitor recorded these statistics while missing nearly 500 games due to various injuries throughout his career.

On June 11, 1999, the Brewers retired Molitor's uniform number 4. During the ceremony at Milwaukee County Stadium, Molitor announced that if he went into the Hall of Fame, he would do so as a Brewer. On January 6, 2004, he was elected to the Hall in his first year of eligibility, with 85.2% of the votes. True to his word, he joined Robin Yount as the only Hall of Famers to be depicted on their plaques with Brewers caps. At the time of his induction, Molitor was the hitting coach for the Seattle Mariners.^[7]

In 1999, Molitor ranked No. 99 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and he was nominated as a finalist for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. Molitor was elected to the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999.

Molitor is one of four players in major league history with at least 3,000 hits, a .300 lifetime batting average, and 500 stolen bases. The other three are Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner, and Eddie Collins, none of whom played the game beyond 1930. Molitor is the only player ever to accomplish those feats and hit at least 200 home runs. Molitor is also the first player in World Series history to have at least two home runs, two doubles, and two triples in one series (1993).

Drug use[link]

During the early years of his career, Molitor began using cocaine and marijuana. He stopped using drugs in 1981, and has since visited schools to lecture about the dangers of drug use.^[7]

See also[link]

• List of top 300 Major League Baseball home run hitters
• List of Major League Baseball Hit Records
• List of Major League Baseball doubles records
• List of major league players with 2,000 hits
• List of Major League Baseball players with 400 doubles
• List of Major League Baseball players with 100 triples
• List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 runs
• List of Major League Baseball leaders in career stolen bases
• 3000 hit club
• Hitting for the cycle
• List of Major League Baseball runs scored champions
• List of Major League Baseball doubles champions
• List of Major League Baseball triples champions
• List of Major League Baseball players with 400 stolen bases

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Paul Molitor

• Paul Molitor at the Baseball Hall of Fame
• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube
• Molitor's induction ignites old memories
• Molitor thrills Cooperstown audience: Hall of Famer reminisces about career at Voices of the Game event

Jose Canseco
Outfielder / Designated hitter
Born: (1964-07-02) July 2, 1964 (age 47) Havana, Cuba
Batted: Right	Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 2, 1985 for the Oakland Athletics
Last MLB appearance
October 6, 2001 for the Chicago White Sox
Career statistics
Batting average	.266
Home runs	462
Runs batted in	1,407
Teams
Oakland Athletics (1985–1992) Texas Rangers (1992–1994) Boston Red Sox (1995–1996) Oakland Athletics (1997) Toronto Blue Jays (1998) Tampa Bay Devil Rays (1999–2000) New York Yankees (2000) Chicago White Sox (2001)
Career highlights and awards
6× All-Star (1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1999) 2× World Series champion (1989, 2000) 4× Silver Slugger Award (1988, 1990, 1991, 1998) AL MVP (1988) AL Rookie of the Year (1986) AL Comeback Player of the Year (1994)

José Canseco Capas, Jr. (born July 2, 1964), is a Cuban-American former Major League Baseball (MLB) outfielder, and designated hitter who is currently playing for the Worcester Tornadoes. He last played for the AAA Quintana Roo Tigres of the Mexican Baseball League^[1], however he was banned from the Mexican League in 2012 for refusing to submit to a drug test and admitting to taking testosterone.^[1] He played for the Oakland Athletics (1985–1992, 1997) Texas Rangers (1992–1994), Boston Red Sox (1995–1996), Toronto Blue Jays (1998), Tampa Bay Devil Rays (1999–2000), New York Yankees (2000) and Chicago White Sox (2001). During his career, Canseco was a six-time All-Star, four-time Silver Slugger Award winner, American League (AL) Rookie of the Year, and AL Most Valuable Player.

Canseco has admitted using performance enhancing drugs during his playing career, and wrote a tell-all book, Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant 'Roids, Smash Hits & How Baseball Got Big, in which he claimed that the vast majority of MLB players use steroids.

Canseco is the identical twin brother of former major league player Ozzie Canseco. After retiring from Major League Baseball, he also competed in boxing and mixed martial arts.

Early years[link]

Canseco was born in Havana, Cuba, and left Cuba with his cousins and family when he and his identical twin brother were infants. They relocated to the United States, with José and Ozzie growing up in the Miami, Florida area, and attending Coral Park High School.

Baseball career (1982–present)[link]

Minor league baseball (1982–1985)[link]

The Oakland Athletics drafted Canseco in the 15th round of the 1982 Major League Baseball Draft. He played minor league baseball with the Madison Muskies, Idaho Falls A's, and the Modesto A's. Canseco started the 1985 season with the Class-AA Huntsville Stars and became known as "Parkway Jose",^{[citation needed]} for his long home runs (25 in half a season), that went close to the Memorial Parkway behind Joe Davis Stadium.

Major League Baseball (1985–2001)[link]

Oakland Athletics (1985–92)[link]

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, playing in 29 games in the major leagues in 1985. He gained notoriety in 1986, his first full season, being named the American League's Rookie of the Year, with 33 home runs and 117 runs batted in. 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".

In 1988, Canseco became the first player in major league history to hit at least 40 home runs and steal at least 40 bases in the same year, by hitting 42 home runs and stealing 40 bases. After that, the street in front of his former high school was named after him and later rescinded in 2008 after he admitted to previously using drugs throughout his career.^[2][3] That same year, he helped the Athletics to the World Series but they lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games. Canseco was unanimously named the American League's Most Valuable Player in 1988, with a .307 batting average, 120 runs scored, 124 RBI, 42 home runs, and 40 stolen bases.

In 1989, Canseco missed all but 65 of the regular season games with a broken wrist, but he still managed to hit 17 home runs as the Athletics won their first World Series since 1974, beating the San Francisco Giants in four games. The 1989 Series was interrupted before Game 3 by a major earthquake in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Canseco came back to form in 1990, hitting 37 home runs despite being hampered in the latter part of the season by what would become a recurring back problem. The A's returned to the World Series once again, but were swept by the Cincinnati Reds in four games. Canseco continued to be productive, hitting 44 home runs in 1991, but his career hit a plateau, and in the face of frequent injuries and controversy he never accomplished what many^[who?] felt he was capable of.

Texas Rangers (1992–94)[link]

On August 31, 1992, in the middle of a game and while he was in the on-deck circle, the A's traded Canseco to the Texas Rangers for Rubén Sierra, Jeff Russell, and Bobby Witt.

On May 26, 1993, during a game against the Cleveland Indians, Carlos Martínez hit a fly ball that Canseco lost sight of as he was crossing the warning track. The ball hit him in the head and bounced over the wall for a home run.^[4] The cap^[5][6][7] Canseco was wearing on that play, which This Week in Baseball rated in 1998 as the greatest blooper of the show's first 21 years, is in the Seth Swirsky collection. After the incident, the Harrisburg Heat offered him a soccer contract.^[8] Three days later, Canseco asked his manager, Kevin Kennedy, to let him pitch the eighth inning of a runaway loss to the Boston Red Sox; he injured his arm, underwent Tommy John surgery, and was lost for the remainder of the season. In his pitching appearance, Canseco allowed three earned runs on two hits and three walks, throwing 33 pitches, but only 12 for strikes.^[9]

In the 1994 strike shortened season, Canseco again returned to his former status of power hitter with 31 home runs and 90 RBI in 111 games. Canseco also stole 15 bases and posted a .282 batting average. He was named comeback player of the year in 1994, and finished in eleventh place in the American League Most Valuable Player voting.

Final MLB seasons (1995–2001)[link]

After playing with the Rangers from 1992 to 1994, Canseco moved on to play with the Boston Red Sox from 1995 to 1996. Following an unsuccessful return with the A's in 1997, Canseco did have a productive season again with the Toronto Blue Jays in 1998, when he hit 46 home runs and stole 29 bases, the most he had stolen since the 40 he stole in 1988. He won the AL Silver Slugger award, but his comeback was missed by most fans because of the home run race in the National League between Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa.

Canseco went to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 1999, where he hit 34 home runs in 114 games and was named to the AL All-Star team, until he injured his back and was lost for the season. He was claimed off waivers by the New York Yankees in August 2000, which caught many, including Yankees manager Joe Torre off guard, as the Yankees had four other players who fulfilled a similar role to Canseco.^[10] Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman made the claim to prevent the Blue Jays, who were in a close race with the Yankees, from acquiring Canseco.^[11] He made one appearance in the 2000 World Series against the New York Mets. Canseco later called his Yankees tenure "the worst time of [his] life" due to receiving limited playing time.^[11]

Canseco played with the Chicago White Sox in 2001, after being cut by the Anaheim Angels in spring training and spending half of the season with the Newark Bears of the independent Atlantic League. In 2002, Canseco was signed by the Montreal Expos but was released prior to the regular season. Canseco retired in May 2002. He made a brief comeback attempt in 2004, but was not offered a spot with the Los Angeles Dodgers after a spring tryout.

Awards[link]

His 462 career home runs rank him 32nd on the MLB all-time list. Canseco was at one time the all-time leader in home runs among Latino players; he was later surpassed by Manny Ramirez, Carlos Delgado, Rafael Palmeiro, Alex Rodriguez, and Sammy Sosa. Canseco has been distinguished four times with the Silver Slugger award: three times as an AL outfielder in 1988, 1990, and 1991, and once as a Designated Hitter in 1998.

Independent League career (2006-present)[link]

Typically a designated hitter, Canseco has taken to the mound as a pitcher several times with Yuma.

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."

On July 5, 2006, Canseco was traded to the Long Beach Armada after only one game. He requested the trade due to "family obligations." On July 31, 2006, Canseco won the Golden Baseball League's Home Run Derby.

On August 14, 2010, Canseco signed a short team deal with the Laredo Broncos of the United Baseball League. He served as bench coach and designated hitter.^[12]

On April 11, 2011, Canseco signed a deal as a player/manager for the Yuma Scorpions of the North American League.^[12]

Canseco joined the Quintana Roo Tigres of the Mexican League in 2012, but was reportedly banned for using testosterone.^[13]

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 ^[14] for a salary of one thousand dollars a month.^[15]

Steroids[link]

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. In the book, Canseco specifically identified former teammates Mark McGwire, Rafael Palmeiro, Jason Giambi, Iván Rodríguez and Juan González as fellow steroid users, and admitted that he injected them.^[16] 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 and somewhat conspicuously 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, José Canseco and Jorge Delgado were cited in the Mitchell 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.^[17] On December 20, 2007, Canseco was also named in Jason Grimsley's unsealed affidavit as a user of steroids. Canseco and Grimsley were teammates on the 2000 New York Yankees.^[18]

On December 30, 2007, it was announced that Canseco has reached a deal for his sequel to Juiced. The new book is Vindicated, which Canseco's lawyer, Robert Saunooke, said would hit bookstores by Opening Day 2008. This book is said to have "stuff" on Alex Rodriguez, and Albert Belle as suggested by Canseco. The book will be a "clarification" of names that should've been mentioned in the Mitchell Report. On January 5, 2008, a potential editor for his upcoming book, Don Yaeger, a former Sports Illustrated associate editor, said he would not edit the book. He told the New York Daily News that he thought Canseco didn't have a book in the material he gave him. However, on February 7, 2009, Sports Illustrated reported that A-Rod did test positive during his 2003 season, which could make Canseco's book seem more real than it was believed.^[19] Finally, on Monday, February 9, 2009 A-Rod confirmed Canseco's previous allegations of steroids use in an exclusive interview; A-Rod admits to using steroids from 2001 to 2003. However, Rodriguez denied the allegations written in Canseco's book that Canseco introduced him to a steroid deal, calling that information "100% false".

Outside of baseball[link]

While still a player, he guest starred on The Simpsons and Nash Bridges. Since his retirement, Canseco has appeared on Late Show with David Letterman, 60 Minutes, The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch, "Boomer and Carton", Howard Stern, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, 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 with Dennis Rodman and Magic Johnson.^[20] He was a cast member in Season 5 of The Surreal Life with Janice Dickinson, Pepa of Salt-N-Pepa, Bronson Pinchot, Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth, Caprice Bourret, and Carey Hart.^[21]

In 2007, he received 6 Hall of Fame 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 May 2008, Philadelphia sportscaster and former NFL football player Vai Sikahema accepted a challenge from Canseco to fight him for $30,000. Canseco claims to have earned black belts in Kung Fu and Taekwondo, while Sikahema fought in the Golden Gloves tournament won by Sugar Ray Leonard. The fight took place on July 12 in Atlantic City at the Bernie Robbins stadium.^[22] The 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) Sikahema knocked out the 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) Canseco in the first round.

On January 24, 2009, Canseco fought radio personality and former child actor Danny Bonaduce in Aston Township, Pennsylvania; the three-round match ended in a majority draw.^[23][24]

Canseco holds black belts in karate and taekwondo, and also practices Muay Thai.^[25] He made his mixed martial arts debut at Dream 9 on May 26, 2009, where he lost in the first round against 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) kickboxer and occasional mixed martial artist Choi Hong-man as part of Dream's Super Hulk Tournament.^[26][27]

On November 6, 2009, Canseco defeated Todd Poulton in a Celebrity Boxing Federation bout in Springfield, MA.^[28] As of December 2010, he has 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 the 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.

Legal issues[link]

On February 10, 1989, Canseco was arrested for reckless driving after allegedly leading an officer on a 15-mile chase. He was found guilty and fined $500.^[29]

On April 11, 1989, Canseco was arrested in California for carrying a loaded semi-automatic pistol in his car.^[30] He was released on $2,500 bail and pled no contest.^[31][32]

On February 13, 1992, he was charged with aggravated battery for allegedly ramming his then-wife Esther's BMW with his Porsche.^[30] On March 19, 1992, Canseco pled not guilty to charges of aggravated assault and later underwent counseling and fulfilled a community-service requirement.^[33]

Canseco was arrested in November 1997 for hitting his then-wife, Jessica. In January 1998, he pled no contest and was sentenced to one year probation and required to attend counseling.^[34]

In October 2001, Canseco and his brother, Ozzie, got into a fight with two California tourists at a Miami Beach 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.^[35]

In March 2003, Canseco missed a court appearance while in California working out a custody dispute over his 6-year-old. The judge revoked his probation and sentenced him to two years under house arrest followed by three years probation.^[36]

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.^[37]

In May 2008, Canseco revealed that he had lost his house in Encino, California to foreclosure saying his two divorces had cost him $7 to $8 million each.^[38]

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.^[39] On November 4, 2008, Canseco pled guilty in federal court and was sentenced to 12 months’ unsupervised probation by U.S. Magistrate Judge Ruben B. Brooks.^[40]

The 2008 A&E Network documentary Jose Canseco: Last Shot chronicles Canseco's attempts to end his steroid use.^[41]

Mixed martial arts record[link]

See also[link]

	Biography portal
	Baseball portal

• List of Cuban Americans
• List of top 300 Major League Baseball home run hitters
• List of Major League Baseball leaders in career stolen bases
• List of players from Cuba in Major League Baseball
• List of Cubans
• List of MLB individual streaks
• List of doping cases in sport
• List of Major League Baseball players named in the Mitchell Report

References[link]