Corridor of Famer Orlando Cepeda has handed away at age 86, the Giants introduced. Cepeda performed 9 of his 17 MLB campaigns in San Francisco and received the 1967 Nationwide League MVP award as a member of the Cardinals.
A local of Ponce, Puerto Rico, Cepeda secured a minor league contract with the Giants in 1955. He hit 22 dwelling runs as a 17-year-old in his first minor league season, hinting on the energy he’d ultimately present within the large leagues. Cepeda rapidly hit his approach up the ladder, reaching the majors halfway via April in 1958. His arrival coincided with the franchise’s transfer to San Francisco.
The primary baseman wasted no time in cementing himself as one of many faces of the group. He raked at a .312/.342/.512 clip with 25 homers and a Nationwide League-high 38 doubles at age 20. Cepeda was a unanimous selection because the Senior Circuit’s Rookie of the 12 months and completed ninth in MVP balloting. Whereas he didn’t earn an All-Star choice in his first season, Cepeda would earn journeys to the Midsummer Basic within the six seasons thereafter.
The 6’2″ slugger reached 35 doubles and topped 20 homers in his second and third years. He took his already glorious type to a different stage in his fourth season. Cepeda blasted a career-high 46 longballs to prime the Nationwide League. He drove in a staggering 142 runs whereas hitting .311/.362/.609 over 152 contests. Cepeda led the majors in RBI and completed runner-up to Frank Robinson in MVP balloting.
Whereas he didn’t fairly match these numbers in 1962, Cepeda popped one other 35 homers and drove in 114 runs. He completed fifteenth in MVP voting and helped the Giants seize the pennant. He didn’t have an amazing World Sequence because the Yankees dropped the Giants in a seven-game set, however he’d get one other couple cracks on the Fall Basic later within the decade.
These didn’t are available San Francisco. Cepeda remained a productive hitter for the subsequent couple seasons, topping 30 homers whereas hitting over .300 in every of the subsequent two years. He misplaced many of the ’65 marketing campaign to damage, although, placing one thing of a bitter finish on an illustrious run with the group. The Giants traded Cepeda to the Cardinals for left-hander Ray Sadecki in Could 1966. Whereas Sadecki was a stable beginning pitcher for the subsequent couple seasons, that blockbuster turned out squarely within the Playing cards’ favor.
Cepeda hit .303/.362/.469 in his first yr with the Cardinals. He paced the NL with 111 RBI the next season, operating a .325/.399/.524 line over 644 plate appearances. Cepeda helped the Cardinals to 101 wins and a visit to the World Sequence. He topped teammate Tim McCarver to win the MVP. Whereas Cepeda solely had three hits within the Sequence, the Playing cards triumphed over the Crimson Sox in seven video games to assert the eighth title in franchise historical past.
The Cardinals received a second straight pennant the next season, although they fell to the Tigers within the ’68 World Sequence. St. Louis traded Cepeda to the Braves the next Spring Coaching in a one-for-one swap for Joe Torre. The star catcher and future Corridor of Fame supervisor would win the ’71 MVP in St. Louis, so the Cardinals netted a future MVP on each ends of their respective Cepeda trades.
Cepeda was a key contributor for Atlanta over three and a half seasons in his personal proper. He remained a effectively above-average hitter, operating a .281/.343/.486 line in 401 video games as a Courageous. Atlanta traded him to the A’s in 1972 for Denny McLain, a deal that didn’t work out for both group. Cepeda signed with the Crimson Sox as a full-time designated hitter in 1973 and hit .289/.350/.444 to earn a couple of extra down-ballot MVP votes. He retired after a short stint with the Royals the yr after.
Over a profession that spanned components of 17 seasons, Cepeda hit .297/.350/.499 in additional than 2100 video games. He completed his enjoying days with 379 dwelling runs, 2351 hits and 1365 runs batted in. He’s 74th on the all-time leaderboard in homers and tied with Garret Anderson for 87th in RBI. Cepeda spent 15 years on the Corridor of Fame poll, falling simply shy of induction with 73.5% of the vote share in his remaining yr (1994). 5 years later, he was enshrined by the Veterans Committee.
Whereas Cepeda had an completed run for 3 franchises, he’ll all the time be greatest remembered for his time with the Giants. He hit .308/.352/.535 in additional than 4500 plate appearances in a San Francisco uniform. The franchise retired his #30 and unveiled a statue in his honor exterior of Oracle Park again in 2008. His passing sadly comes solely 10 days after the demise of his longtime teammate and fellow Giants/MLB icon Willie Mays. MLBTR joins others all through the game in sending condolences to Cepeda’s household, family members, former teammates and the numerous followers whose lives he touched over his glorious profession.