Ozzie Canseco
| Ozzie Canseco | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Canseco with the Madison Muskies c. 1988 | |
| Outfielder | |
| Born: July 2, 1964 Havana, Cuba | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| July 18, 1990, for the Oakland Athletics | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| May 13, 1993, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .200 |
| Hits | 13 |
| Runs batted in | 4 |
| Teams | |
Osvaldo "Ozzie" Canseco Capas (born July 2, 1964) is a Cuban-American former professional baseball player. He is the identical twin brother of former Major League Baseball player José Canseco.
He was manager for the Brownsville Charros of the United League before the league's dissolution. He was previously the pitching and hitting coach for the Yuma Scorpions of the independent North American League and the manager of the Edinburg Roadrunners.
Playing career
[edit]Ozzie had a brief major league career, playing in 24 career games with the Oakland Athletics and St. Louis Cardinals between 1990 and 1993. In 1991, he played in Japan for the Kintetsu Buffaloes.
Canseco was drafted as a pitcher by the New York Yankees in the second round of the 1983 Major League Baseball draft. In stark contrast to the prolific, power hitting career of his twin brother, Ozzie never hit a major league home run.
Canseco currently holds the Atlantic League single season home run record with 48, which he achieved while playing for the Newark Bears in 2000. After the season ended Canseco was named the league's MVP.[1] Ozzie's total of 48 home runs is ironically also the Canseco family single season home run record. Ozzie's much more famous brother Jose hit 462 Major League home runs, and 98 more at other levels of professional baseball, but he never hit more than 46 in a single season.
Later Ozzie played one season in the Northern League. In 1991, he signed a one-year contract with the Kintetsu Buffaloes of the Japanese Pacific League.[2] However, due to an injury, Ozzie would never play a game with the Buffaloes.[3]
Yuma Scorpions
[edit]On April 11, 2011, it was announced that Ozzie and his brother would play for the Yuma Scorpions of the North American League. In addition to playing, Ozzie would be the bench coach and Jose would manage the team.[4] Ozzie played 12 games with 8 hits and 12 RBIs. His season batting average was .258.
Other activities
[edit]Canseco appeared on an episode of VH1's The Surreal Life (Season 5) as a José Canseco impersonator. At the end of the program, it was revealed that he was José's twin brother. He has also reportedly appeared at baseball card shows and book signings passing himself off as his brother.[5]
As manager of the Brownsville Charros in the United League, Ozzie pulled his team off the field with a 2–1 lead giving the RGV Whitewings a win.[6]
Legal troubles
[edit]In 2002, Canseco pleaded guilty to charges stemming from a nightclub fight on October 31, 2001. He and his brother Jose 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; Canseco was charged with two counts of aggravated battery. The brothers received probation and community service. Ozzie was sentenced to 18 months' probation, 200 hours of community service, and anger management classes.[7]
In 2003, Canseco was sentenced to four months in jail for possessing an illegal anabolic steroid and driving with a suspended license.[8]
References
[edit]- ^ Newark Bears 2005 team yearbook.
- ^ "SPORTS PEOPLE: BASEBALL; Ozzie Canseco to Japan". The New York Times. January 8, 1991. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
- ^ 2001: An Osakan Odyssey - The Story of the Kintetsu Buffaloes, May 4, 2021, retrieved May 8, 2022
- ^ "Canseco to manage, play for independent team". ESPN.com. April 11, 2011. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
- ^ Gleeman, Aaron (March 28, 2011). "Jose Canseco's twin brother Ozzie tried to impersonate him at a "celebrity boxing" fight". HardballTalk. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
- ^ Valley Morning Star [permanent dead link]
- ^ "Canseco twins plead guilty to felony". CBC Sports. November 6, 2002. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
- ^ "Ozzie Canseco gets jail". ESPN.com. Associated Press. November 18, 2003. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
External links
[edit]- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors)
- 1964 births
- Living people
- American expatriate baseball players in Japan
- American expatriate baseball players in Mexico
- American sportspeople of Cuban descent
- Baseball players from Miami
- Brownsville Charros players
- Cuban emigrants to the United States
- Duluth-Superior Dukes players
- Edinburg Roadrunners players
- Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks players
- Fort Lauderdale Yankees players
- Ganaderos de Tabasco players
- Greensboro Hornets players
- Gulf Coast Yankees players
- Huntsville Stars players
- Identical twins
- Kintetsu Buffaloes players
- Laredo Broncos players
- Louisville Redbirds players
- Lotte Giants players
- Madison Muskies players
- Major League Baseball left fielders
- Major League Baseball players from Cuba
- Cuban expatriate baseball players in the United States
- Major League Baseball right fielders
- Minor league baseball managers
- New Orleans Zephyrs players
- Newark Bears players
- Oakland Athletics players
- Oneonta Yankees players
- People convicted of battery
- Baseball players from Havana
- St. Louis Cardinals players
- Sultanes de Monterrey players
- American identical twins
- Yuma Scorpions players
- Cuban expatriate baseball players in Japan
- Cuban expatriate baseball players in Mexico