Rafael Palmeiro

Rafael Palmeiro Corrales (born September 24, 1964) is a Cuban-American former baseball first baseman and left fielder.

He played 20 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for three teams.

Although he was drafted by the New York Mets in the 8th round of the 1982 draft, he did not sign.

Palmeiro was recruited by Ron Polk and enrolled at Mississippi State University, where he played college baseball for the Bulldogs in the Southeastern Conference (SEC).

He was the first of two players to have ever won the SEC triple crown, both of whom are Mississippi State products.

A teammate of Will Clark, the two were known as "Thunder and Lightning".

Clark and Palmeiro were known to dislike each other, dating back to their time at Mississippi State.

Palmeiro was an All-American at Mississippi State University before being drafted by the Chicago Cubs in 1985.

On June 11, 1985, Palmeiro signed with the Chicago Cubs as the 22nd pick in the 1st round of the 1985 draft.

He was drafted as a compensation pick from the San Diego Padres, to whom the Cubs lost Tim Stoddard via free agency.

In 1985, Palmeiro played with the Peoria Chiefs of the Class A level Midwest League.

In his first professional season, Palmeiro batted .297 with 5 home runs and 51 RBI in 73 games.

He played exclusively in the outfield.

He played for the Cubs (1986–1988), Texas Rangers (1989–1993, 1999–2003), and the Baltimore Orioles (1994–1998, 2004–2005).

He was named to the MLB All-Star Team four times, and won the Gold Glove three times.

He is one of only seven players in MLB history to be a member of both the 500 home run club and the 3,000 hit club.

Palmeiro played for the Pittsfield Cubs of the Class AA level Eastern League in 1986.

With Pittsfield, Palmeiro played exclusively in the outfield and hit .306 with 12 home runs and 95 RBI in 140 games, before a September call up to the major leagues.

Palmeiro debuted on September 8, 1986, in a game between the Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies at Wrigley Field, as a left fielder.

In his first season, he played 22 games, having a .247 batting average while having 12 RBIs and 3 home runs.

In the next season, he played in 84 games, garnering 61 hits, 14 home runs and 30 RBIs with a .276 average.

During his tenure with the Cubs, he normally played left field, though occasionally he would play other outfield positions or first base.

In 1987, Palmeiro played for the Iowa Cubs of the Class AAA level American Association.

In 57 games Palmeiro hit .299 with 11 home runs and 41 RBI before being called up the major leagues.

He played the outfield in 47 games and made his debut at 1B, playing 9 games.

Palmeiro was the runner up to National League batting champion Tony Gwynn in 1988 with a .307 batting average, only six points below Gwynn's. He had 178 hits, 8 home runs and 53 RBIs in 629 plate appearances and 152 games.

He was named to the 1988 MLB All-Star Game, the first in his career.

During that year rumors spread about a relationship between Palmeiro and Ryne Sandberg's wife, Cindy.

This led to issues in the locker room and after the 1988 season, Palmeiro was traded by the Cubs to the Texas Rangers along with Jamie Moyer and Drew Hall in exchange for Mitch Williams, Paul Kilgus, Steve Wilson, Curtis Wilkerson, Luis Benitez, and Pablo Delgado.

Upon moving to the American League, Palmeiro was primarily used as a first baseman or designated hitter.

In 1989, he hit for .275 that season, having 64 RBIs, 8 home runs and 154 hits.

Palmeiro blossomed as a hitter while with the Rangers, leading the league in hits in 1990 and doubles in 1991.

In 1990, he was third in the American League in batting.

He hit for .319 during the season, while having 89 RBIs and 14 home runs and leading the league in hits (191).

He hit 49 doubles in 1991 (a season high along with a career high), while having 203 hits, 26 home runs and 88 RBIs for a .322 batting average.

He was named to his second career All-Star Game that year.

He dipped in every category in 1992, having 163 hits, 22 home runs, 85 RBIs and a .268 batting average.

Days after recording his 3,000th hit, Palmeiro received a 10-game suspension for testing positive for an anabolic steroid.

Palmeiro was born in Havana, Cuba, but moved to the United States at the age of seven.

He graduated from Miami Jackson High School in Miami, Florida.