Rafael Palmiero a consistant force

Twice, former teams have walked away from Rafael Palmeiro. Twice, he’s made them pay.
After the 1993 season, Palmeiro wanted to remain with the Texas Rangers, for whom he had been a productive player for five seasons. Instead, the Rangers opted to sign free agent Will Clark, like Palmeiro, a lefthanded-hitting first baseman from Mississippi State.
Palmeiro took his game to Baltimore instead, and for five seasons, was one of the most productive hitters in the game. While with the Orioles, Palmeiro was durable (he was never on the disabled list and missed a grand total of four games in his final three seasons), reliable (he never hit fewer than 38 homers in his last four years in Birdland) and consistent (his average dipped below .289 just once in his five seasons).
But when Palmeiro went looking for a five-year deal, the Orioles balked and signed — guess who? — Clark, as Palmeiro went back to Texas.
That was fine with Palmeiro, who maintains a home in the Arlington area, where his children attend school.
So far it’s fine with the Rangers, too. At the start of the week, Palmeiro, despite two surgical procedures on his knee in spring training, was hitting a robust .351 with 19 homers and 59 RBI.
Once again, it would seem, Palmeiro is showing that it can be costly to give up on him.
“I’ve always felt like I had to prove myself to someone,” said Palmeiro. “It always seems like there’s someone out there who doesn’t believe in me. But I thrive on things like that, to prove people wrong.”
Motivation has been a valuable tool for Palmeiro. He’s been limited to DH duty for most of the season (he did play first base when the Rangers crossed over to National League parks in interleague play) thanks to his bothersome knee. But he’s kept his bat in the lineup, and, with Juan Gonzalez, Rusty Greer, Pudge Rodriguez and Lee Stevens, helps make up one of the most fearsome batting orders in the game.
Texas, despite dropping three in a row to Boston over the weekend, maintains a hold on first place in the AL West. By contrast, Clark, who has been on the disabled list once already, hasn’t hit for much power and the Orioles remain lodged closer to the AL East basement than first place.
Baltimore wasn’t the only team balking at Palmeiro’s contractual demands. The Red Sox, who lost Mo Vaughn, didn’t get very deep into discussions with Palmeiro before backing out. Despite averaging a shade under 40 homers and 120 RBI for the last four years, Palmeiro wasn’t the subject of bidding wars like Albert Belle, nor the recipient of an eight-figure yearly salary like Vaughn.
Instead, Palmeiro cut a deal which pays him approximately $9 million per season, with some of the money reportedly deferred.
“I’m happy with it,” he shrugs. “I can’t say I would I could have gotten more. I’m making more money than I ever thought.”
Palmeiro was considered by some Orioles teammates as a stat-driven individualist, but the Rangers have been delighted by the leadership he’s provided in their clubhouse, particularly to the team’s many young Latin players.
“I’m a more mature player,” acknowledges Palmeiro. “I’ve been through a lot and I’ve got a lot of experience. After a while, your natural instincts take over. I’m not the vocal type, but I help the young guys and guide them in the right direction.”
Now 34, Palmeiro thinks the age issue which worried the Orioles and others last winter is moot. He’ll be 39 when the present contract expires, and he expects to remain productive throughout — and then some.
“The way I approach this game,” he said, “I don’t see a problem playing beyond 39.”
As Palmeiro looks ahead, he refuses to look back.
“I think the Orioles know what kind of player they let go,” he said. “And I think the Rangers know the kind of player they got.”