Jose Canseco had one of the strangest and most entertaining careers in baseball, and his brief stint with the Yankees is easy to forget. He’s remembered for a lot of wild moments: getting hit in the head with a fly ball that bounced over the fence for a home run, accidentally shooting off his finger, owning big dogs, and being the first member of the 40/40 club. But somehow, his time in the Bronx barely gets mentioned. In 2000, Yankees GM Brian Cashman claimed 48 players off waivers, including Canseco, just to block other teams like the Blue Jays from picking them up. The Jays weren’t even trying to get Canseco, but the Rays dumped him on the Yankees anyway and made them pay a million dollars for him.
New York didn’t need him. They already had Glenallen Hill, David Justice, and other designated hitters. But Canseco still made a few appearances, including a wild debut where he went 2-for-2 with a third-deck home run. His batting stance, body, and presence made him look like a cross between a cartoon villain and a comic book slugger. Despite his size and history, he only played 37 games for the Yankees and called it the most miserable time of his career. He barely got into the World Series and later tried to sell his championship ring on eBay because he needed cash. It’s another bizarre chapter in the unpredictable story of Jose Canseco.