GGOATRANK
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Baseball · Pitcher · United States

Jim Palmer

1965–1984 · Three-time Cy Young winner and a three-time World Series champion.

Retired
Ranking model

100% titles, statistics, dominance, longevity and global competition depth.

Pure sporting data
90.1
Cultural & brand footprint 50/100 · total legacy 77.9
Cy Young awards
3
World Series titles
3
Career wins
268
Gold Gloves
4
20-win seasons
8

Category profile

Dominance
88
Peak
94
Longevity
86
Honours
90
Statistics
94

Career timeline · Home runs per season

SeasonHome runs per seasonShare of career
196615
19673
19680
196916
197020
197120
197221
197322
19747
197523
197622
197720
197821
197910
198016
19817
198215
19835

Data sources

  • MLB.com
  • Baseball Reference
  • National Baseball Hall of Fame

Figures come from public records and are normalised per sport. See the methodology for category weights. Method

Why Jim Palmer ranks #24 in Baseball

Jim Palmer ranks 24th among Baseball athletes on GOAT Rank and 1006th of 2289 across every sport in the index. The published GOAT Score of 90.1 is the weighted result of five verified category scores: Dominance 88, Peak 94, Longevity 86, Honours 90, Statistics 94. Those categories are normalised against the full Baseball reference universe of 262 records, not a shortlist, so the position reflects the whole sport rather than a handful of famous names.

The record covers 1965–1984 with 18 documented competitive seasons. The strongest single season in that series is 1975, which sets the Peak component at 94. Peak is the defining strength of the profile at 94 out of 100, and it carries 20% of the final score. The underlying career record includes cy young awards 3, world series titles 3, career wins 268, gold gloves 4.

Immediately ahead sits Robin Yount on 90.2, a gap of 0.1 points. Directly behind is Gaylord Perry on 90.0. The position moves whenever the verified record moves: new titles, new seasons or a corrected source all feed straight back into the same formula, and every change is dated on this profile.

Jim Palmer GOAT Score explained

Dominance88/100 · weight 25%
Measures how far Palmer stood above the field while competing. Scored 88/100 against the full Baseball cohort.
Peak94/100 · weight 20%
Rates the best sustained stretch of the career, centred on 1975. Scored 94/100.
Longevity86/100 · weight 20%
Rewards staying at that level over time: 19 years of competition and 18 recorded seasons. Scored 86/100.
Honours90/100 · weight 20%
Counts documented titles, majors and awards in the verified record. Scored 90/100.
Statistics94/100 · weight 15%
Normalises the raw career numbers against everyone in the sport reporting the same metric. Scored 94/100.

Jim Palmer — frequently asked

Is Jim Palmer the GOAT?
Not on the current data. Jim Palmer ranks 24th in Baseball with a GOAT Score of 90.1, behind Babe Ruth on 94.6.
What is Jim Palmer's GOAT Score?
90.1 out of 100. It is the weighted sum of Dominance 88 (25%), Peak 94 (20%), Longevity 86 (20%), Honours 90 (20%), Statistics 94 (15%), computed from the verified career record.
Where does Jim Palmer rank all time?
1006th of 2289 eligible athletes in the cross-sport index, and 24th within Baseball.
Jim Palmer vs Robin Yount: who ranks higher?
Robin Yount, on 90.2 against Jim Palmer's 90.1 — a margin of 0.1 points.
Compare with Ruth