Jose Canseco Will Be Oakland Athletics TV Analyst in 2017

Jose Canseco has been hired as an analyst on CSN Bay Area to cover the Oakland Athletics. He is far from the only controversial figure in such a capacity.

Baseball television analysis has added another controversial figure to follow in the footsteps of Alex Rodriguez. The Oakland Athletics announced former slugger Jose Canseco will join CSN Bay Area as a television analyst. He will be on the air pregame and postgame. Canseco, who played in Oakland from 1985 to 1992 and again in 1997, was a five-time All-Star and won an MVP during his time with the A’s. He also won a championship in Oakland in 1989 as well.

Plenty of Interesting Characters on the Air

Canseco’s newest gig makes him hardly the only controversial figure to be hired as a baseball analyst. Along with Alex Rodriguez, television stations have had the likes of Pete Rose and Curt Schilling on the air. Canseco is well-known for his steroid use, as is Rodriguez. Both were superstars before drug allegations and their behavior in other aspects tainted their legacies. Schilling has been very vocal about his political views, going as far as posting less-than-ideal social media content and eventually getting let go by ESPN because of it.

More from Call to the Pen

• Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
• Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
• Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
• Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
• 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals

Rose is probably the most controversial and well-known of the bunch with his ban from Major League Baseball after being caught betting on baseball. He has been banned from baseball for almost 30 years, but that didn’t stop FOX from bringing him on to do analysis during the postseason.

Canseco is the latest, but he won’t be the last. Guys like Rose and Rodriguez have proven to be entertaining and they give good insight. They were some of the best players of their respective eras and that helps with household recognition and credibility when it comes to their knowledge. Canseco has the potential to bring those intangibles to CSN Bay Area.

Already Stirring the Pot

While Rose and Rodriguez have had plenty of negative press, they have steered clear of causing much ruckus since joining FOX. Canseco, however, is already making noise just a day after getting the job. He has tweeted in usual Jose Canseco fashion, with intent to take jabs at anyone he feels like going at.

He first took to former MLB Commissioner Bud Selig:

Then to Rodriguez and Major League Baseball itself:

And there is still room for the Canseco tweets we all know and love:

While Canseco is still lighting up Twitter with entertainment, he has made sure to let his followers know that this opportunity is important to him.

Next: Raiders' Move Paves Way for New A's Ballpark

Time will tell if this will work out, but it will probably draw more A’s fans to watch the pregame and postgame analysis. Canseco is sure to entertain and give some good insight along the way. 2017 will be an interesting one on CSN Bay Area. Stay tuned.