Jose Canseco To Manage In Minors

The Yuma Scorpions are hoping two Cansecos are better than one.

The Scorpions, of the independent North American League, have named Jose Canseco manager and twin brother Ozzie Canseco bench coach and hitting coach, the Yuma (Ariz.) Sun reported. Both brothers will also play.

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Hiroki Watanabe/Getty ImagesJose Canseco, seen at a 2009 MMA event in Japan, will manage the Yuma Scorpions as well as play.

The team hopes the addition of Jose Canseco, who hit 462 home runs in the majors, will help in the field and at the turnstiles, where it has struggled, according to the report.

"I think it's exciting for Yuma," league president Kevin Outcalt said, according to the report. "Jose is a very accomplished player, he has a lot of sway in the media and in pop culture, and he's bringing that to the city."

Outcalt also believes that Canseco will be able to reach out to Latin ballplayers and Yuma's Spanish-speaking community, according to the report.

"He'll attract not only Latin players, but work with the diverse community in Yuma as well. We expect Jose not only to do very well managing the team but also in the community," Outcalt told the newspaper.

The North American League is the product of the merger of three independent leagues this past winter -- the Golden, Northern and United leagues.

Canseco is no stranger to independent minor league baseball, having previously played with the Newark Bears of the Atlantic League and the Long Beach Armada of the Golden Baseball League.

According to the Yuma Sun, the Armada sued Canseco and was awarded more than $250,000 following his departure from the club during the 2006 season.

Outcalt considers that incident over and done with, according to the report.

"I think the difference is he's now the manager of a team," Outcalt told the newspaper. "He realizes he's in a full-time management position opposed to being a player on a team. He's very ready at this point in his career to smoothly transition to managing."

Canseco was a feared slugger and baseball's first 40 home run, 40 stolen-base player. But he's also well-known for a pair of books he wrote about the use of performance-enhancing drugs in baseball and his participation in reality television shows.

Jose and Ozzie Canseco were at the center of controversy earlier this month, when a celebrity boxing promoter claimed in a lawsuit that Jose Canseco, who was scheduled to appear in the event, sent Ozzie to fight in his place.