Veteran first baseman Rafael Palmeiro will launch his unlikely comeback bid with the indy ball Cleburne Railroaders, he tells Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. He’ll play there with his son, former minor-leaguer Patrick Palmeiro.
Needless to say, it had always seemed a longshot that the former star would earn a chance with an affiliated organization. He announced late last year that he was hoping to make it back to the majors for the first time since 2005 — when he was already forty years of age.
Palmeiro could still hit when last he suited up. In ’05, he turned in a .266/.339/.447 slash with 18 home runs and as many walks as strikeouts (43 apiece) in 422 plate appearances. Of course, that was 13 years ago and he was already fading from his prior levels of productivity. Other than a first, brief taste of the majors way back in 1986, Palmeiro never ended a season with an overall batting line that fell below league average. He stands as one of only five players to accumulate 3,000 hits and 500 home runs.
Those stats don’t mean as much as they might have, of course, given that Palmeiro ultimately tested positive for steroids. He has since steadfastly denied that he knowingly used steroids, though the matter has perhaps kept him from reaching the Hall of Fame.
I’m his age and I can’t even sit through an entire game anymore. Good for him.
You should start taking HGH.
Hell im 40 and i cant sit through an entire game without something hurting.
LOL “ironman”.
Sadly I’m older but in the same boat. Although I’d love to be at tonight’s Yankee-Red Sox game, the couch, fridge and “reading” room do me just fine…
“ . . . the matter has kept him from reaching the HoF.”
Like to see you prove that “fact”, Jeff.
There is literally no other reason why a member of the 500/3000 club would not be in the Hall of Fame.
Plus there have been many voters who have stated that they would never vote in a guy who was connected with the roids so he tested positive and lost his appeal and was suspended. Deductive reasoning leads one to believe that he is not in the HOF due to his positive test.
“There is literally no other reason why a member of the 500/300 club would not be in the Hall Of Fame.”
Sure there is, a number of voters considered Palmiero under-qualified even without the PED issue. You are assuming that those numbers, or any numbers, are an automatic ticket to glory and they are not.
If you want to prove your and Jeff’s case, go to the voters. Find a critical number who, when posting their vote, indicated that they would have voted for Palmiero but for the PED problem. Bonds and Clemens can claim that they would certainly be in but for PEDs, Palmiero not so much.
3000 hits IS an automatic ticket. Unless you’re an admitted gambler or a ‘roid user.
My goodness, I cannot stand Hall and award debates. I think it’s pretty clear he’d have made it with an extremely long, steady, productive career and two huge milestones that so few others have reached in tandem. But that’s my read of HOF voting, not whether I think he deserves to get in. And I don’t intend to prove my case in the manner you suggest, since I’m not trying to stake out any claims here — just wanted to give a little context to the guy’s strange comeback attempt.
So, mercy, it’s edited.
You are super, super wrong.
You shouldn’t have rolled over, Jeff. Majorflaw’s comments were just living up to his username.
“I cannot stand Hall and award debates.”
Ditto, stopped caring about the HoF, who gets in and who is kept out when they couldn’t get around to admitting 93-year old Marvin Miller.
“I think it’s pretty clear he’d have made it . . . “
Most likely yes. But that’s not the same as stating for a fact that he would have.
“So, mercy, it’s edited.”
Not that you owe it to me or anyone else, but the part I objected to, the still unproven statement that Palmiero would have been elected but for PEDs remains intact.
You mean the same voters that helped hide the rampant PED use for years to protect the players? Yeah, ok….
I agree that 3000 hits is an automatic ticket, but it shouldn’t be.
You should get a job with the White House Press Corp. You’re more concerned with this alleged fact (which, by the way, was not presented as such) than journalists are with anything.
“You’re more concerned with this alleged fact . . . than journalists are with anything.”
That’s a really ignorant thing to say, baseballpun. While Jeff’s fact remains likely but unproven, yours is simply false. Willing to bet you couldn’t name three members of the WH press corps, not even if you were sent down to Club Gitmo for some “enhanced” interrogation. Ah, I see I missed this gem from above:
“Majorflaw’s comments were just living up to his user name.”
Been using this UN for approx twenty years now. Would you believe that you are the first person who realized that there was some humor involved in the choice. No, really. You are the first.
Egregiouslyflawedindividual, your crusade is inconsistent, uh, flawed, and simply strange. Your mincing of Jeff’s word choice is bizarre, without even entering the actual discussion at hand. Your persistence at defending an indefensible, vague assertion is even more puzzling. I’d love to know your actual goals here. At the moment, your only argument appears to be that 99% isn’t 100%. We get it. Nothing is absolutely certain. Surely that can’t be your only goal?
Bad Jeff, Bad Bad Bad. No biscuit.
I don’t think you stated anything incorrectly. On pure stats he’s a Hall of Famer. And the infamous pointing episode didn’t help his case.
What player with statistics approximating Palmiero’s has been left out for any reason excepting PEDs? Your assertion is, frankly, hogwash.
I added “perhaps.”
“I added “perhaps.””
And now it’s accurate. My work is done here.
And… with that edit, one specious commenter wins a pyrrhic victory — and loses face at the same time.
Don’t give in Teff Jodd! Raffy WOULD be a HOFer IF he hadn’t taken steroids OR MAYBE if he had owned up to it. But he pulled a Braun, and the only way he’ll get in now is if and after Bonds, Clemens and Manny get in. They were better in my opinion and should get in before him. I don’t see any of it happening though
So then what in heavens name is the magic numbers to get in the HOF for you know-it-all baseball experts? There has to be some kind of criteria that you use to determine eligibility !
I bet you are such fun at parties! Wait ! You do know what fun
and parties and friends are right? I mean , perhaps you don’t !
Yea what else could it be?
PED use has hurt some great players who likely would otherwise have been given more consideration.
I meant by comparison, others who were presumed cleam.
I wrote the “matter” — i.e., the positive test, his reaction to it, and the prevailing viewpoint that his career is marred by presumed use of steroids. I did not state any opinion (let alone cloak it as “fact”) as to whether he did or did not use steroids.
“I did not state any opinion . . . as to whether he did or did not use steroids.”
Which is odd considering he failed a drug test. You’d have been on solid ground assuming, or asserting, his usage as fact as that failed test is pretty strong evidence, Counselor. Presuming to be able to read the minds of the HoF voters is not so solid.
I bet you’re really fun at parties
I disagree. I’d be on solid ground to state the opinion, citing the test as evidence, not to state it as fact.
The hypothetical outcome of a Hall vote without the PED issue is entirely different, since it is not actually a question of fact at all. There never was or will be such a vote that held without knowledge of what came before.
So, I agree that I technically should not have used language suggesting that the impact of the roids on his HOF candidacy was a factual matter at all, let alone declared it the actual thing that kept him out. BUT I also think it’s far more defensible to use some artistic license, if you will, w/r/t HOF candidacy than steroid usage, which is actually something that either did or did not occur and is also a subject worthy of greater care.
“I’d be on solid ground stating the opinion, citing the test as evidence, not to state it as fact.”
OK, I’m trying to follow your argument. You are saying that we should be stricter about facts when dealing with an accusation of PED use and that’s fair enough. PED accusations are defamatory while it isn’t defamatory to say that someone shouldn’t be in the HoF.
Not sure why you see a problem with using a player’s failed test, after any and all appeals and legal challenges have been exhausted, as sufficient evidence to make the claim that he used. Would you use a criminal conviction as proof that the individual committed the act even though said criminal assures you that he was innocent?
At what point has the fact been sufficiently proven for you to cite it as such? If you don’t trust MLB’s testing program to provide accurate results it would appear that the only evidence you’d find conclusive would be a confession and I would not recommend suspending respiration waiting for confessions.
Were we in court I’d expect the player’s use to be an irrebuttable presumption based on the failed test alone. At worst it would be a rebuttable presumption and, so far, the player hasn’t produced anything to rebut it.
You said before that with Jeff’s edit, your work is done here.
Please keep your word, even if you can do nothing else.
Hey, lester
I wrote that my work was done before reading Jeff’s comment. As he took the time and gave it some thought I thought he deserved a response. So sue me.
Also, while you are free to blather on in response to my—or anyone else’s comments—you do not get to decide for me or anyone else when and what to post. Don’t like it—feel free to ignore. Or post another puerile response, your call.
Touchy today, aren’t we?
And be certain, in the future, I will try to ignore the evidence of your INCESSANT NEED TO BE RIGHT.
p.s. You still lost the argument with Jeff.
BINGO!
This is the dumbest post of all time.
I think that is pretty common knowledge given his 3000 hits and 500 HR’s.
I called Mike Francesa and broke the news on air when he first announced his comeback over the winter. Mike said yeah right I’ll believe it when i see it. I wanna see him go deep just in spite #getalife
Man, GMs won’t even sign a first baseman/DH that’s over 29 to a major league deal. He’s insane.
Cheater back then; clown now.
There is a greater than 0% chance he suits up for the Rangers at some point this season.
*insert joke here about “Railroaders” being an ironic team name for a player who tried to lie to Congress and the American public*
Woulda hit 3000 without help, great hitter. Wouldn’t have sniffed 500 HRs, though.
When I think of Palmeiro, I always think about the Gold Glove he won in 1999 after only playing 28 games in the field.
Who are you to judge whether those statistics mean as much or not?
jeff todd,you don’t mean as much as others.
And I don’t like Palmiero.
LMAO
Time to go to take a trip to Cleburne!
I didn’t realize there was alcohol in those scotch and waters I was drinking last night…..
He’s still a HOFer in my book, just a HOFer that did drugs. There is no such thing as a pill or a cream that will make you hit 500 homers or get 3000 hits. Otherwise, EVERYONE in the Mitchell Report would have been a part of that club. What he did was no different than the greenies of the 70s or the cocaine of the 80s. Doesn’t make him a role model by any means, but didn’t make him a great ballplayer either.
Oh there are is a HUGE difference between steroids
and speed
and cocaine . Especially when it comes to workout recovery and athletic performance!
Other than your word, you didn’t refute anything I wrote and it took you three posts just to do that. I’m gonna stick with my opinion.
wow. only 4 all star nods….
I don’t even think he sniffed an MVP either. It was a product of the times. There were always better 1st basemen around. Heck if I recall correctly he was never even the best player on his own team. He was just a consistent hitter throughout his career.
For those arguing it wasn’t PEDs that keep him out of the HOF, you’re crazy. He not only tested positive, but he tested positive right after being on nationwide TV swearing to Congress he didn’t use steroids. For a player to not even get 5% to stay on the ballet though he is only one of four players to EVER have 500 homers and 3000 hits tells you everything.
Would it have been that difficult to tell us where Cleburne actually is? I’ve never heard of the place. Kinda feel like I shouldn’t have to go on a google search after reading an article to get the whole information.
Anyway, pretty neat that he got a deal somewhere – but I can’t imagine it ever extends past that little Texas town
Cleburne Texas, population 29,377. Not far from the 8th arrondissement de Paris.
Does this league award a Gold Glove? Maybe he can score another one.
Too many very good but not great players in the HOF now. How about a new idea? Each year, of all eligible retirees, 1 can be added from each league. If you want to add more, for every guy you add, you have to remove one already enshrined. Great players would still get in. Marginal candidates, probably not. Too many guys are in because the voters felt they had to pick someone, not because they were incredible….
Seems to me that Palmeiro just wants to play with his kid. What a great thing. There’s no way he’s getting back to the modern big leagues without chemical help, the human body cannot do what is necessary at age 50 whatever, regardless of the genes.
Since Ivan Rodriguez is in…then Bonds, Clemens, and Palmeiro should get in.