Rafael Palmeiro Corrales was born in Havana, Cuba on September 24, 1964. He is a retired Cuban American Major League Baseball first baseman and left fielder. Palmeiro graduated from Miami Jackson High School in Miami, Florida.

Palmeiro was an All-American at Mississippi State University before being drafted by the Chicago Cubs in 1985. He played for the Cubs from 1986 to 1988, Texas Rangers from 1989 to 1993 and from 1999 to 2003, and the Baltimore Orioles from 1994 to 1998, and from 2004 to 2005. He was named to the MLB All-Star Team four times, and won the Gold Glove three times. He is a member of the 500 home run club and the 3,000 hit club and is one of only five players in history to be a member of both.