Rafael Palmeiro
Overshadowed on teams with more recognizable stars, Rafael Palmeiro emerged as a heavyweight hitter, averaging 42 homers per year in his age 30-38 seasons. He was able to hit for average: finishing runner-up to Tony Gwynn for a batting title, as well as power: running second to Ken Griffey Jr. for the home run title. He used his picture-perfect left-handed swing (and perhaps some illegal substances) to reach the 3,000-hit and 500-homer marks.
Quotes About Palmeiro
"The year he tested positive [2005], nothing he did that year should count, which I think would take away 3,000 hits for him." — Curt Schilling on Rafael Palmeiro
Played For
Chicago Cubs (1986-1988)
Texas Rangers (1989-1993)
Baltimore Orioles (1994-1998)
Texas Rangers (1999-2003)
Baltimore Orioles (2004-2005)
All-Time Rankings
Rafael Palmeiro ranks #32 among the Top 50 all-time at 1B. Rankings ⇒
Best Season: 1999
Back with the Texas Rangers after five years in Baltimore, Palmeiro posted his highest slugging percentage (.630) and OBP (.420). His 47 homers and 148 RBI helped power Texas to the playoffs. Somehow the DH won the Gold Glove Award, despite playing just 28 games at first base. Nevertheless, the 34-year old was at his best with the bat.
Factoids
On July 17, 1998, Rafael Palmeiro and Albert Belle both hit the 300th homers of their careers. Palmeiro did so in the O's 4-1 victory over the Angels, while Belle hit his milestone homer in the White Sox 4-3 defeat of the Indians.
Raffy vs. Will the Thrill
Will Clark and Rafael Palmeiro are linked forever for two reasons:
1) The Rangers signed Clark rather than re-sign Palmeiro during the free agent off-season of 1993.
2) The Rangers signed Palmeiro and brought him back in the 1999 off-season, while the O's signed Clark. Essentially the two first basemen swapped places.
But the two players had polar opposite careers. Palmeiro was pigeon-holed early in his career as an opposite field singles hitter, Clark was heralded as a future Hall of Famer. In reality, Palmeiro is likely to end up in Cooperstown, while "Will the Thrill" has little chance, especially after burning so many bridges with his abrasive personality.
There are some similarities between the two sluggers: both were born in 1964, both debuted in the majors in 1986, and both were left-handed hitters who were considered to have one of the best swings of their era.
From their debut season through 1993, Clark was the better offensive player:
1986-1993.....G......H.....R....HR...RBI...AVG...SLG...OBP
Clark......1160...1278...687...176...709...299...499...373
Palmeiro...1046...1144...587...132...526...296...472...360
But from 1994 through 2001 (Clark retired after the 2000 season), Palmeiro has shown he is destined to be remembered as the better hitter:
1994-2001.....G......H.....R....HR...RBI...AVG...SLG...OBP
Clark.......816....898...499...108...496...309...493...398
Palmeiro...1212...1341...770...315...944...293...560...381
And Raffy is still rolling, showing that like Dwight Evans, Hank Aaron, his 30s are the best years of his career. The Cuban has kept himself in great shape, in fact, from 1994-2001, no one in baseball played more games than Palmeiro. He also ranks second in hits over that eight-year stretch, and fifth in homers, behind household names Sosa, McGwire, Bonds and Griffey.
Where He Played
1,861 games at first base through 2002, 307 as a designated hitter, and 212 in the outfield (exclusively with the Chicago Cubs from 1986-1988). Palmeiro received attention in 1999, when he was awarded the Gold Glove at first base despite playing just 28 games there. He was primarily a DH, but voters ignored that fact.
Born
Rafael (Corrales) Palmeiro was born on September 24, 1964, in Havana
Batted: Left
Threw: Left
Primary Position: 1B
Primary Team: TEX
College: Mississippi State
Major League Debut
September 8, 1986
Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1986
Rafael Palmeiro
Barry Bonds
Fred McGriff
Barry Larkin
Bobby Bonilla
Ruben Sierra
Mark McGwire
Greg Maddux
David Cone
Nicknames
Raffy
Uniform Numbers
#25 (1986-1988, 1990-present), #3 (1989 Rangers)
Family Tree
"My dad is anti-Castro and so are we," Palmeiro said in 1999 when he was asked about the possibility of playing an exhibition game in Cuba. "For me to go back there goes against everything we stand for and believe in." The Orioles did go to Cuba in the spring of 1999 to play a Cuban National team, but Palmeiro was with the Rangers by then, and even if he had been with the O's, he indicated that he would have stayed in the United States. In 1971, when he was five years old, Palmeiro's parents and two brothers had fled the communist island nation. His 17-year-old brother Jose was forced to stay behind, and Palmeiro didn't see his brother again until 1992.
Similar Players
Fred McGriff, Billy Williams
Related Players
Will Clark, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Eddie Murray, Jose Canseco, Jason Giambi
Post-Season Appearances
1996 American League Championship Series
1996 American League Divisional Series
1997 American League Championship Series
1997 American League Divisional Series
1999 American League Divisional Series
Awards and Honors
1997 AL Gold Glove
1998 AL Gold Glove
1999 AL Gold Glove
Feats
From 1995-2002, Palmeiro strung together eight consecutive seasons with at least 38 homers and 100 RBI. No other player in baseball history had ever accomplished that.
Milestones
On May 11, 2003, Palmeiro belted his 500th career home run, at the Ballpark in Arlington... On September 23, 2000, Palmeiro hit the 400th home run of his career, against the Angels. He became the 32nd player to reach the 400-homer level.
Milestones
- September 23, 2000: 400th HR...
- May 11, 2003: 500th HR... Off Dave Elder.
- July 15, 2005: 3000th Hit... Palmeiro hit a double off of Joel Pineiro for his 3,000th hit.
Hitting Streaks
24 games (1994)
20 games (1988)
Transactions
Selected by Chicago Cubs in the 1st round (22nd pick overall) of the free-agent draft (June 3, 1985); Traded by Chicago Cubs with Jamie Moyer and Drew Hall to Texas Rangers in exchange for Mitch Williams, Paul Kilgus, Steve Wilson, Curt Wilkerson, Luis Benitez and Pablo Delgado (December 5, 1988); Granted free agency (October 25, 1993); Signed by Baltimore Orioles (December 12, 1993); Granted free agency (October 23, 1998); Signed by Texas Rangers (December 4, 1998).
All-Star Selections
1988 NL
1991 AL
1998 AL
1999 AL
Replaced
Jerry Mumphrey
Best Strength as a Player
Hitting
Largest Weakness as a Player
It remains to be seen if his productivity in his 30s was due to his own hard work or if it came from a syringe.
Learn More about Rafael Palmeiro
Search Amazon.com for Books about Rafael Palmeiro ⇒
Search for Rafael Palmeiro at Google ⇒
View a map of his hometown at Mapquest ⇒
