Orlando Cepeda (1999)


Date of Birth: 9/17/1937
Date of Death: 6/28/2024
Birthplace: Ponce, Puerto Rico

Orlando Cepeda came from a baseball family, with a father who played professional baseball in Puerto Rico.

New York Giants

Cepeda signed with the New York Giants in 1955. After three years in the minor leagues, he was in the starting lineup for the Giants in 1958. In his first season in the major leagues, Cepeda batted .312 with 188 hits, a career high 38 doubles, 25 home runs, 15 stolen bases, and 96 RBIs in 148 games. That outstanding start earned him the National League Rookie of the Year award and the Sporting News Rookie of the Year award. He led the NL in doubles and in putouts (1,322) in 1958.

Cepeda had another strong season in 1959. He had career highs in hits (192) and stolen bases (23). He batted .317 with 35 doubles, 27 home runs, and 105 RBIs in 151 games. The following season, he batted .297 in 151 games. He finished the 1960 season with 169 hits, 36 doubles, 24 home runs, and 96 RBIs.

Cepeda led the National League in home runs and RBIs in 1961. That year he batted .311 with 182 hits, 28 doubles, and career highs in home runs with 46 and in RBIs with 142 in 152 games.

Cepeda played in a career high 162 games in 1962. He finished the season with 191 hits, 26 doubles, 35 home runs, 114 RBIs, and a .306 batting average. The next two seasons were also strong ones. He batted .316 with 183 hits, 33 doubles, 34 home runs, and 97 RBIs in 1963. In 1964, he had 161 hits, 27 doubles, 31 home runs, 97 RBIs, and a .304 batting average in 142 games.

Cepeda was injured in 1965, and he only played in 33 games that season. The following season, the Giants traded him to the St. Louis Cardinals.

St. Louis Cardinals

Cepeda finished the 1966 season with 151 hits, 26 doubles, 20 home runs, 73 RBIs, and a .301 batting average in 19 games with the Giants and 123 games with the Cardinals.

In 1967, fully recovered from his injuries, Cepeda again led the National League in RBIs. That season he batted a career high .325 with 183 hits, 37 doubles, 25 home runs, and a career high 111 RBIs in 151 games. He won the NL MVP award and the Sporting News Player of the Year award in 1967.

Cepeda struggled in 1968, batting just .248 with 149 hits in 157 games. Before the start of the 1969 season, the Cardinals sent Cepeda to the Atlanta Braves in exchange for Joe Torre.

Atlanta Braves

Cepeda played in 154 games with the Braves in 1969. He had a .257 batting average with 147 hits, 28 doubles, 22 home runs, and 88 RBIs. He improved in 1970, finishing with a .305 batting average. He had 173 hits, 33 doubles, 34 home runs, and 111 RBIs in 148 games.

Cepeda played in only 71 games with the Braves in 1971 and in 31 games in 1972 due to injuries. In July, 1972, he was traded to the Oakland Athletics. He played in 28 games with the Braves and 3 games with the Athletics and he batted .287.

Boston Red Sox

Cepeda returned to Puerto Rico in 1972, with the intention of retiring but in 1973, he returned to major league baseball to be the designated hitter for the Boston Red Sox. He had a good season in 1973, and he was named the Outstanding Designated Hitter. He batted .289 with 159 hits, 25 doubles, 20 home runs, and 86 RBIs in 142 games.

Kansas City Royals

Cepeda was released at the end of the 1973 season. He signed in 1974 with the Kansas City Royals. He ended his career that year after playing in just 33 games.

Awards and MLB Records

  • NL Rookie of the Year
  • Sporting News Rookie of the Year
  • NL MVP
  • Sporting News Player of the Year
  • Outstanding Designated Hitter award
  • Led the NL in RBIs (2 times)

Career Statistics

Batting statistics for Cepeda in 17 seasons (1958-1974) in the major leagues include:

  • 11 seasons with over 150 hits, with highs of 191 in 1962 and 192 in 1959
  • 6 seasons with over 30 doubles, with a high of 38 in 1958
  • 12 seasons with 20 or more home runs, with a high of 46 in 1961
  • 5 seasons with over 100 RBIs, with a high of 142 in 1961
  • 9 seasons with a batting average over .300, with a high of .325 in 1967

Career batting statistics for Cepeda include:

  • 2,124 games played
  • 417 doubles
  • 379 home runs
  • 1,365 RBIs
  • 142 stolen bases
  • 1,169 strikeouts to 588 walks
  • .297 batting average
  • .350 on-base percentage
  • .849 OPS

Career fielding statistics for Cepeda at first base include:

  • 1,683 games played
  • 162 errors
  • 1,012 assists
  • 1,192 double plays
  • 14,459 putouts
  • .990 fielding percentage

Postseason statistics for Cepeda include:

  • 4 postseasons
  • 22 games played
  • 87 at-bats
  • 18 hits
  • 5 doubles
  • 3 home runs
  • 1 stolen base
  • 12 RBIs
  • 13 strikeouts to 3 walks
  • .207 batting average

Post Playing Career

After retiring as a player, Cepeda became a baseball coach in Puerto Rico. Later, he served as a scout for the Chicago White Sox and as a minor league instructor. From 1988 through 2011, he held assorted positions with the San Francisco Giants, including scout and goodwill ambassador.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Orlando Cepeda
ESPN - Orlando Cepeda
Baseball Reference - Orlando Cepeda

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