Bárbaro Cañizares
Bárbaro Rafael Cañizares Hernandez (born November 21, 1979) is a Cuban‑American former first baseman. He is 6'3" and 230 pounds, and he bats and throws right-handed. He was born in Havana, Cuba.
Cuban career
Cañizares played from 1995 to 2003 in Cuba’s National Series for Industriales and Metropolitanos, hitting .304 with 47 home runs and 335 RBIs in 573 games. He helped Industriales reach the postseason in 2005 with Kendrys Morales. While playing for the Cuban national team, he once sold his jersey to a fan who turned out to be connected to the U.S. Interests Section in Havana, which led to a lifetime suspension from Cuban baseball. He defected from Cuba in February 2004 and later played in Nicaragua.
MLB and other leagues
He signed with the Atlanta Braves on February 4, 2006. Cañizares made his MLB debut on June 11, 2009 with the Braves, and played his last MLB game on July 31, 2009. His MLB career through 2009 was a .190 batting average with 0 home runs and 0 RBIs.
He also spent time with the Winnipeg Goldeyes in 2012 and played in Mexico, where he earned multiple honors. He was the Mexican League batting champion in 2011 with Guerreros de Oaxaca, hitting .396. He earned two singles of the Mexican Pacific League MVP with Yaquis de Obregón.
Japan and later years
Cañizares moved to Japan to play in Nippon Professional Baseball for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks from 2014 to 2016. He appeared in Japan as a member of the Hawks and helped them win the Japan Series in 2014 and 2015. His NPB career stats through 2016 were a .259 batting average, 1 home run, and 8 RBIs.
Return to Mexico and retirement
In 2017, he signed with the Tigres de Quintana Roo of the Mexican Baseball League, but was released in May. He then joined the Algodoneros de Unión Laguna in 2018. Cañizares retired as a player after the 2018 season and stayed in baseball as a hitting coach for the Olmecas de Tabasco in the Mexican League. He also played winter ball in the Dominican Republic and Venezuela during his career.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 08:16 (CET).