Growing up in someone’s shadow is always difficult. When you grow up in the shadow of one of the greatest first basemen in baseball’s modern era, it’s that much more challenging. 

Junior first baseman Preston Palmeiro is the youngest son of Rafael Palmeiro, former first baseman for the Texas Rangers and the Baltimore Orioles. His brother, Patrick Palmeiro, is a minor league player and alumnus of the University of Alabama at Birmingham. For Palmeiro, it was very competitive amongst his family growing up.

“It was extremely competitive,” Palmeiro said. “It’s competitive to this day with my brother and I. When I was younger, he used to beat me, and he never let me win. I think that’s what helped me get my competitive edge.”

Palmeiro’s father likes to remind him from time to time that he can still outplay him, despite having retired from the majors 10 years ago. For Palmeiro, the toughest thing about growing up was having to live in the shadow of a man that is one-of-five players to have both 3,000 hits and 500 RBIs in his major league career.

Palmerio hails from Colleyville, Texas, which is only a 40-minute drive from Dallas. Palmeiro was recruited by some of the biggest powerhouses in college baseball like Louisiana State, Florida State and Texas.

One of the more notable offers that Palmeiro received during his recruitment was from Mississippi State, the college team his father played for. Despite spurning his father’s alma mater, Palmeiro was happy for the opportunity to play for the Wolfpack.

“I was never worried about playing at Mississippi State,” Palmeiro said. “I thought that it would be incredible. But NC State was the best fit for me, and I felt like if I came here that we’d have a good chance to win.”

Palmeiro came in to replace Tarran Senay and Grant Clyde, who were both lost after the 2013 season when they graduated from NC State. Palmeiro got a good introduction to the city and the team through former Wolfpack and current Washington Nationals shortstop Trea Turner, as well as former catcher Brett Austin.

“Brett and Trea kind of took me under their wing a little bit during my freshman year,” Palmeiro said. “They were a major influence on me. To see the way they carried themselves and how they prepared, I think it was a good example to see when I first got here.”

One of the most noticeable traits of Palmeiro is his natural swing motion, which some have described as being very similar to his father’s. With sophomore shortstop Joe Dunand on the roster as well, head coach Elliott Avent is happy to have another player who grew up around a major league ballpark on the team.

“You’ve got two guys that have been around major league clubs, and have seen the ups and downs that a season can have,” Avent said. “It’s people like Palmeiro that help get the concept of team done.”

In his first three seasons, Palmeiro has gone from a guy who can come off the bench to pinch-hit into an indispensable starter for the baseball team. His aforementioned development was on display during the team’s three-game series against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish earlier this season.

In the third game of the series, Palmeiro came up to bat with two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the third with the Wolfpack trailing 5-2. After battling through a long at-bat, Palmeiro smashed a bases-clearing double to centerfield to tie the game. The play swung the momentum in State’s favor and was the catalyst for the team’s 16-6 beat down of the Irish.

Palmeiro finished with six RBIs for the series, including four during the series’ final game. Avent praised his clutch hitting following the game.

“He just came up with two outs and two strikes, and battled through the at-bat,” Avent said. “He had a very good at-bat and got that hit that tied the game up after we battled back in that inning.”

Palmeiro is currently in the sports management program at NC State. While most athletes have mentioned managing the balance between school and athletics can be a little challenging, Palmeiro has done an effective job of maintaining the balance.

“It does get a little challenging at times,” Palmeiro said. “But on days where you don’t have games and don’t have practice, you just have to find the balance, and the team has done a very good job of making sure that I stay on top of it.”

As a junior, Palmeiro does have the option to enter the MLB draft and the chance to get drafted by a team.  As for where he wanted to play, Palmeiro remained humble for any opportunity that could arise from the next level of competition.

“To me personally, it doesn’t really matter to me,” Palmeiro said. “I have generally rooted for the teams that my father has played for. As long as I get an opportunity to play at the next level, that’s all that really matters.”