Can Canseco Really Make a Come Back?

This is not exactly news: Jose Canseco thinks he can make a comeback and play in the Major Leagues at the age of 45. This seems a bit far fetched, not only due to his age but due to his knack for pointing the finger and turning his back on the clubhouse confidential unwritten rule.

Canseco has not played in the Major Leagues since 2001 when he posted a .258/.366/.477 line with an OPS+ of 117, wRC+ of 121, and 16 homeruns in 256 at-bats, good for an rWAR of 1.0 and fWAR of 1.1, walking in 14.7% of his at-bats with the White Sox.

In 2010 Canseco played in 11 games with the Independent League Laredo Broncos. Canseco hit .385/.510/.769 (15-39) with 3 doubles, 4 homeruns, and a 9/10 BB/K rate. Yes, the competition is something along the lines of AA ballplayers who couldn’t hack it, but impressive numbers for a 45 year old in a professional sport. Canseco also looks to be in great shape and his bat speed seems to be at least where it was in 2001. Take a look at his first homerun with Laredo in the video (at the 3:05 mark):

This is not proof he can hit Major League pitching. In fact, at the 2:45 mark he swung and missed against what appears to a left-hander that probably tops out around 90 mph on a high radar gun. But it is proof that he still has bat speed and can still hit a ball a long way in game conditions.

The other thing would hold Canseco back was his platoon split his last two seasons in the Majors. Playing for both the Yankees and Rays in 2000 he hit .286/.398/558 against left-handers in 93 plate appearances and only .242/.370/.409 against right-handers in 308 PAs. In 2001 he crushed left-handers to the tune of .273/.395/.697 in 81 PAs and hit .253/.356/.409 in 225 PAs against right-handers.

So, the main question was “Can Canseco really make a comeback?” I honestly would love to see it happen. Physically and skillfully I do believe Canseco could make a successful comeback as a DH that plays everyday against left-handers and only hits against soft-tossing right-handers. Realistically, though, I don’t see a team allowing Canseco in their clubhouse, thus making any return to the Major Leagues near impossible.