Rafael Palmeiro, baseball player, 569 home runs, 1986-2005

Rafael Palmeiro

Born: 9/24/1964 in Havana, La Habana, Cuba

MLB Debut: 1986-09-08 | Final Game: 2005-08-30

Bats: L | Throws: L | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 180 lbs

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Biography

Rafael Palmeiro, born in 1964, was a prolific position player whose career spanned from 1986 to 2005. Over the course of his 19-season tenure in Major League Baseball, Palmeiro played in 2,831 games and established himself as one of the most consistent hitters of his era. He recorded 3,020 hits and launched 569 home runs, while driving in 1,835 runs, showcasing his power and run-producing ability. With a career batting average of .288 and 97 stolen bases, Palmeiro combined offensive prowess with an ability to contribute on the basepaths. Palmeiro was selected as an All-Star four times, reflecting his status as one of the premier players in the game during the 1990s and early 2000s. His career coincided with a transformative period in baseball, marked by the rise of power hitters and a focus on offensive production. Despite facing controversies later in his career, his impressive statistics and longevity in the game solidified his legacy as one of the most accomplished players of his generation.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
2831 10472 1663 3020 585 38 569 1835 97 1353 1348 0.288 0.371 0.515 0.885 42813.0

Career AVG .288 vs. league average .263 across their career seasons — +9.5% above league average.

Career OBP .371 vs. league average .332 across their career seasons — +11.6% above league average.

Career SLG .515 vs. league average .411 across their career seasons — +25.1% above league average.

Career OPS 0.885 vs. league average 0.743 across their career seasons — +19.1% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1986 CHC NL 22 73 9 18 4 0 3 12 1 4 6 0.247 .257 (-4%) .325 (-10%) .395 (+7%) .720 (avg) -15.3
1987 CHC NL 84 221 32 61 15 1 14 30 2 20 26 0.276 .262 (+5%) .331 (+1%) .415 (+31%) .746 (+18%) 667.9
1988 CHC NL 152 580 75 178 41 5 8 53 12 38 34 0.307 .254 (+21%) .317 (+10%) .377 (+15%) .695 (+13%) 1357.1
1989 TEX AL 156 559 76 154 23 4 8 64 4 63 48 0.275 .254 (+8%) .319 (+11%) .375 (avg) .694 (+5%) 732.2
1990 TEX AL 154 598 72 191 35 6 14 89 3 40 59 0.319 .257 (+24%) .324 (+11%) .385 (+21%) .710 (+17%) 1861.3
1991 TEX AL 159 631 115 203 49 3 26 88 4 68 72 0.322 .255 (+26%) .323 (+20%) .384 (+38%) .708 (+30%) 3840.8
1992 TEX AL 159 608 84 163 27 4 22 85 2 72 83 0.268 .255 (+5%) .322 (+9%) .377 (+15%) .699 (+12%) 1615.5
1993 TEX AL 160 597 124 176 40 2 37 105 22 73 85 0.295 .265 (+11%) .332 (+12%) .403 (+37%) .735 (+26%) 3164.7
1994 BAL AL 111 436 82 139 32 0 23 76 7 54 63 0.319 .269 (+18%) .338 (+16%) .424 (+30%) .763 (+23%) 2081.9
1995 BAL AL 143 554 89 172 30 2 39 104 3 62 65 0.310 .266 (+16%) .337 (+12%) .417 (+40%) .755 (+28%) 3123.7
1996 BAL AL 162 626 110 181 40 2 39 142 8 95 96 0.289 .269 (+7%) .340 (+12%) .426 (+28%) .767 (+21%) 2906.1
1997 BAL AL 158 614 95 156 24 2 38 110 5 67 109 0.254 .266 (-5%) .336 (-2%) .419 (+16%) .756 (+8%) 927.9
1998 BAL AL 162 619 98 183 36 1 43 121 11 79 91 0.296 .266 (+11%) .335 (+13%) .420 (+35%) .755 (+25%) 3392.1
1999 TEX AL 158 565 96 183 30 1 47 148 2 97 69 0.324 .271 (+19%) .344 (+22%) .433 (+45%) .778 (+35%) 4487.2
2000 TEX AL 158 565 102 163 29 3 39 120 2 103 77 0.288 .270 (+7%) .344 (+15%) .437 (+28%) .782 (+22%) 2915.9
2001 TEX AL 160 600 98 164 33 0 47 123 1 101 90 0.273 .263 (+4%) .332 (+15%) .426 (+32%) .758 (+24%) 3334.9
2002 TEX AL 155 546 99 149 34 0 43 105 2 104 94 0.273 .261 (+4%) .331 (+18%) .416 (+37%) .747 (+29%) 3515.9
2003 TEX AL 154 561 92 146 21 2 38 112 2 84 77 0.260 .264 (-2%) .332 (+8%) .422 (+20%) .754 (+15%) 1890.1
2004 BAL AL 154 550 68 142 29 0 23 88 2 86 61 0.258 .266 (-3%) .335 (+7%) .427 (+2%) .762 (+4%) 664.5
2005 BAL AL 110 369 47 98 13 0 18 60 2 43 43 0.266 .264 (avg) .330 (+3%) .418 (+7%) .749 (+5%) 348.6

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
22 82 13 20 5 0 4 8 6 23 0.244

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1999 ALDS2 TEX 3 11 0 3 0 0 0 0 1 1 0.273
1997 ALCS BAL 6 25 3 7 2 0 1 2 0 10 0.280
1997 ALDS2 BAL 4 12 2 3 2 0 0 0 0 2 0.250
1996 ALCS BAL 5 17 4 4 0 0 2 4 4 4 0.235
1996 ALDS1 BAL 4 17 4 3 1 0 1 2 1 6 0.176

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 2139 2095 17738 1587 111 1782
OF 212 195 390 9 9 3

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1986 CHN OF 20 18 34 2 4 1
1987 CHN 1B 18 13 112 8 1 15
1987 CHN OF 45 34 64 1 0 1
1988 CHN 1B 5 3 30 5 0 1
1988 CHN OF 147 143 292 6 5 1
1989 TEX 1B 147 142 1167 119 12 106
1990 TEX 1B 146 145 1215 91 7 123
1991 TEX 1B 157 152 1305 96 12 119
1992 TEX 1B 156 154 1251 143 7 131
1993 TEX 1B 160 158 1388 147 5 133
1994 BAL 1B 111 110 959 66 4 87
1995 BAL 1B 142 142 1181 119 4 120
1996 BAL 1B 159 159 1383 119 8 157
1997 BAL 1B 155 151 1304 112 10 124
1998 BAL 1B 159 158 1435 124 9 127
1999 TEX 1B 28 28 261 13 1 23
2000 TEX 1B 108 107 820 56 4 86
2001 TEX 1B 113 113 906 83 8 112
2002 TEX 1B 97 95 739 84 5 83
2003 TEX 1B 55 55 445 49 2 53
2004 BAL 1B 130 128 1090 95 8 114
2005 BAL 1B 93 82 747 58 4 68

Career Games by Position

Position Games
First Base 2139
Left Field 209
Center Field 2
Right Field 8
Designated Hitter 431

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1999 Gold Glove 1B
1999 Outstanding DH Award
1999 Player of the Month June
1999 Player of the Month August
1999 Player of the Week Week of 1999-08-21
1999 Silver Slugger DH
1999 TSN All-Star 1B
1999 TSN Major League Player of the Year
1998 Gold Glove 1B
1998 Player of the Month June
1998 Silver Slugger 1B
1998 TSN All-Star 1B
1997 Gold Glove 1B
1993 Player of the Month July
1993 Player of the Week Week of 1993-07-03
1993 Player of the Week Week of 1993-07-31
1992 Player of the Week Week of 1992-07-11
1989 Player of the Week Week of 1989-05-26

Featured In Rankings

#16
Top 20 First Basemen in History of MLB Baseball
Ranked 16 of 20
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Salary History

Year Team League Salary
2005 BAL AL $3,000,000
2004 BAL AL $4,000,000
2003 TEX AL $9,000,000
2002 TEX AL $8,712,986
2001 TEX AL $9,000,000
2000 TEX AL $8,620,921
1999 TEX AL $8,849,931
1998 BAL AL $6,515,828
1997 BAL AL $5,337,021
1996 BAL AL $5,406,603
1995 BAL AL $4,906,603
1994 BAL AL $5,406,603
1993 TEX AL $4,550,000
1992 TEX AL $3,850,000
1991 TEX AL $1,475,000
1990 TEX AL $300,000
1989 CHN NL $212,000
1988 CHN NL $90,000
1987 CHN NL $62,500
Total Career Earnings $89,295,996

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
Mississippi State University Mississippi State MS 1983, 1984, 1985

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
2001 Most Valuable Player AL 14th 5.0 392 0
1999 Most Valuable Player AL 5th 193.0 392 4
1998 Most Valuable Player AL 18th 2.0 392 0
1997 Most Valuable Player AL 13th 36.0 392 0
1996 Most Valuable Player AL 6th 104.0 392 0
1995 Most Valuable Player AL 11th 34.0 392 0
1994 Most Valuable Player AL 16th 11.0 392 0
1993 Most Valuable Player AL 8th 52.0 392 0
1991 Most Valuable Player AL 19th 6.0 392 0
1990 Most Valuable Player AL 14th 22.0 392 0