Congrats to Rafael Palmeiro, someone I generally consider to be one of the genuine good guys in baseball (this is where all fo you tell me how he isn’t shattering yet another illusion), for joining one of the most elite clubs in baseball:
It was a fitting celebration for one of baseball’s perfect gentlemen: A champagne toast in the clubhouse for Rafael Palmeiro, not some crazy beer-over-the-head soiree.
Palmeiro became the 26th player to reach 3,000 career hits on Friday night, doubling in a run in the fifth inning before adding a sixth-inning single in the Baltimore Orioles’ 6-3 win over the Seattle Mariners.
“I was just trying to drive the runner in,” Palmeiro said. “I was trying to do my thing, keep it simple. I did what I had to do, and it was my 3,000th hit. I was numb going around the bases. I don’t remember much…”
Palmeiro has 566 home runs over his 20-year career, joining Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Eddie Murray as the only players with 3,000 hits and 500 homers. Those magnificent numbers are likely to make Palmeiro a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
Pretty good company.
M. Scott Eiland
Sadly, he may not be a first-ballot Hall of Famer–there’s a lot of rumbling among baseball writers that Palmiero’s numbers are the result of many years of very good but not great performances, and as such should be downgraded somewhat. I’ve even seen it argued that he shouldn’t get in at all. Ridiculous–he’s a textbook case of what Bill James called the “Greatest Common Denominator” argument for inducting a player into the Hall of Fame: if you look at a player’s record, and see that no one with a record remotely comparable to his is *NOT* in the Hall of Fame (barring people who aren’t eligible yet or who have Pete Rose-type problems), it’s pretty clear that he should be in. Yeah, Palmiero has never been the best first baseman in the majors–but he’s been in the top five for almost twenty years, and as you noted, only three other guys have managed to run up totals in those areas as well as Palmiero has (Murray, of course, heard some of the same rumblings as Palmiero did before he was inducted). The man deserves a lot more respect than he’s getting.
Oh, and–Viagra ads aside–reaching 3,000 hits should make it pretty clear that Raffy doesn’t have any problems using his wood. ]:-)
David
It’s weird. I’ve never thought of Palmeiro as some mega-star. Solid player, for sure, but not in the ranks of the hallowed elite. And I live in Maryland, the O’s are my home team (well, they were until the Nats came to town). Yet with numbers like these, who’s to argue?
I’m with John–first ballot, for sure. There’s something to be said for steady consistency.
mac Buckets
Don’t forget that Palmeiro is such a good infielder that he won his third Gold Glove in 1999 while only playing (IIRC) 28 games at first base, being DH’ed the rest of the time. That ALONE makes him a first-ballot guy! Or it should make everyone realize that Gold Gloves are silly.
Vlad
Palmeiro suffers in part because he was very good at a lot of things, rather than transcendently great at one thing (i.e. Ripken’s durability, Ozzie’s D, Rickey’s steals, etc.) He’s also hurt because he didn’t get many chances to play in the postseason, and as such spent a lot of his career out of the spotlight.
To me, he’s a no-brainer for the Hall.