CornBelters sign Canseco to 3-day contract

Posted on February 15, 2018

By WJBC Staff

NORMAL – The Normal CornBelters have announced that Jose Canseco will be joining the roster for a weekend series in the 2018 season.

Canseco attended last year’s Legends Game as a participant and will be returning to The Corn Crib this year to suit up for the CornBelters as a member of the team’s lineup for the three-game homestand against the Florence Freedom June 29-July 1. He is expected to be slotted as the designated hitter and may play some outfield over the course of the weekend.

“It’s unique opportunities like this that make independent baseball so much fun,” said CornBelters President and General Manager Steve Malliet. “We’re looking forward to having a Hall of Fame caliber player like Jose join the team. He’s great with the fans, and it should make for a special weekend of baseball at The Corn Crib.”

Canseco played for various organizations throughout his 17-year career which included seven seasons with the Oakland Athletics, 1985-1991.

In 1986, Canseco was awarded Rookie of the Year. Two years later, he was AL MVP. He went on to be named an All-Star six times, was a two-time World Series champion, four-time Silver Slugger Award recipient, two-time MLB home run leader, and was the MLB RBI leader in 1988.

Throughout his time in the MLB, he played alongside other big names such as Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, Derek Jeter, and Barry Bonds. Canseco and McGwire were nicknamed “The Bash Brothers” when they hit a combined 80 home runs in the 1987 season.

The 1988 and 1991 seasons were some of Canseco’s best, where he had 42 and 44 home runs, respectively. In 1988, he had a batting average of .307, 124 RBIs, and 40 stolen bases. Jose’s 1991 season was impressive as well, with a batting average of .266, 122 RBIs, and 26 stolen bases.

After the 1992 season, Canseco was traded to the Texas Rangers where he would play for three seasons. He finished up his career in 2001, playing for the Chicago White Sox. Jose is still a record holder for total career home runs, sitting at number 14 with 462.

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