Canseco twins together as teammates
Jose Canseco won't be able to send his twin brother in his place for his next venture — the two will be teammates on an obscure minor-league team in Arizona while pulling double duty on the coaching staff.
The Yuma Scorpions announced Monday that Jose Canseco will join the team as player/manager in the coming season. Ozzie will serve as a player/coach.
"I'm excited about my first chance to manage a club in professional baseball and to begin to transition my career to helping younger players and giving back to the game," Canseco said in a team press release. "But I know I can still play and hit, so this player/manager opportunity was just what I was looking for."
The press release said the 46-year-old Canseco twins are expected to bat third and fourth in the Scorpions' lineup. Jose is expected to play first base and designated hitter.
The Scorpions play in the North American League, which launches May 24 for its first season. It's an independent league, which means it has no affiliation with major league baseball. The league is a successor to the Golden Baseball League, which employed Jose Canseco briefly as a player in 2006, following publication of his book, "Juiced."
Jose Canseco, whose 17-season major league career ended 10 years ago, signed a short-term contract last year and played 11 games with the Laredo Broncos in the United League, another low-level independent league.
His headlines of late have come from his non-baseball ventures, however. He was sued last week by a boxing promoter, who claims Jose sent Ozzie in his place to fight in a celebrity boxing event March 26. And he appeared on "The Celebrity Apprentice" this season on NBC.
The Cansecos have already reported to Yuma and will be there full time as they prepare for the season, the Scorpions said. The team has scheduled a press conference for Tuesday in Yuma.