Originally Posted by bond007

okay, I'll defend Palmeiro...



Games Played:
1986: 22
1987: 84

in his "official" rookie season of '87, Raffy hit 14 HRs in approximately half a season. do the math, that's approx. 25-30 HRs over a full season. but, when he didn't meet the Cubbies' expectations (of developing into a true power hitter) in '88, they traded him to Texas. looking beyond his HR totals, you'd notice that he hit 41 2Bs, and only struck out 34 times. in other words, he was a contact hitter. by 1991, which is still pre-Canseco, he was up to 49 2Bs and 26 HRs, but he also struck out more than twice as much. in other words, he was becoming a true power hitter.

also, what most people tend to forget is that it usually takes at least a couple of years to develop into a power hitter (examples: Hank Aaron averaged 22 HRs his 1st three seasons, Willie Mays averaged 20 HRs his 1st two seasons, and Barry Bonds averaged 21 HRs his 1st four seasons).

last, but certainly not least is the ballpark factor. the home parks in Arlington and Baltimore are notorious for being hitter's parks. even moreso if you're a left-handed hitter. if he'd been playing his whole career in places like Dodger Stadium, Petco Park, Safeco Field, etc... his HR total would be in the 400 range.