Just short of 500 home runs, Jose Canseco retires.

Canseco is released by the Angels (2001).

Jose Canseco promised a home run for a cancer patient -- then hits two (2001).

Just short of 500 home runs, Jose Canseco retires.

Written by Ozzie Gonzalez, Latinosportslegends.com

May 14, 2002 -- Just short of hitting the 500 home runs plateau, Cuban slugger Jose Canseco announced his retirement from baseball.

The former 1988 AL MVP, Canseco, has 462 career home runs and only needed 38 homers to hit the 500 mark. Something that would have bolstered his chances of getting into the Hall of Fame.

"Jose felt that because of personal reasons and a strong desire on his part to spend more quality time with his young daughter, it was time to announce his retirement," said his agent, Alan L. Nero.

Canseco, 37, has been out of a job since the 2001 season when he played for the Chicago White Sox. Primarily as a DH last year, Canseco hit .258 with 16 homers and 49 RBIs in 256 at-bats for the Chicago White Sox.

Canseco was invited to attend the Montreal Expos spring training camp this March, but was released after just hitting .200 with three home runs and five RBIs in 14 spring training games. He missed two weeks at the beginning of Spring Training due to a strained right heel.

A lifetime .266 hitter with 1,407 RBIs and 200 stolen bases, Canseco played in 1,887 Major League games with Oakland (1985-92), Texas (1992-94), Boston (1995-96), Oakland (1997), Toronto (1998), Tampa Bay (1999-2000), the Yankees (2000) and the White Sox (2001).

Canseco has 462 career home runs, putting him 22nd on the career list and #2 all-time among Latinos.

"I thought he was the most complete athlete I've ever managed," said Tony La Russa, Canseco's manager with the Oakland Athletics. "This guy really could run and, when he was concentrating, play defense. And he loved to take the tough at-bat. Injuries just took the important part of his career from him."