Orlando Cepeda, a power-hitting first baseman who was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame after a groundbreaking 17-year major league career, died Friday. He was 86 years old.
Cepeda famously was known as the "Baby Bull," a nickname that was passed down from his father, a star in their native Puerto Rico. Cepeda's father was nicknamed "Perucho," which translated to "Bull," and Orlando then became the "Baby Bull."
“Our beloved Orlando passed away peacefully at home this evening, listening to his favorite music and surrounded by his loved ones,” Cepeda's wife, Nydia, said in a statement issued by the Giants. “We take comfort that he is at peace.”
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“We lost a true gentleman and legend," Giants chairman Greg Johnson said in the statement. “Orlando was a great ambassador for the game throughout his playing career and beyond. He was one of the all-time great Giants, and he will truly be missed. Our condolences go out to the Cepeda family for their tremendous loss, and we extend our thoughts to Orlando’s teammates, his friends, and to all those touched by his passing.”
“This is truly a sad day for the San Francisco Giants,’’ Giants president and CEO Larry Baer added in the statement. “For all of Orlando’s extraordinary baseball accomplishments, it was his generosity, kindness and joy that defined him. No one loved the game more. Our heartfelt condolences go out to his wife, Nydia, his five children, Orlando, Jr., Malcolm, Ali, Carl and Hector, his nine grandchildren, his one great granddaughter, as well as his extended family and friends.”
The news hit during the Giants-Los Angeles Dodgers game at Oracle Park, and was announced to the crowd and to the TV audience watching on NBC Sports Bay Area.
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From the moment he broke into the big leagues in 1958, Cepeda proved difficult for opposing pitchers to figure out. Batting two spots behind Willie Mays (who died last week at age 93), Cepeda homered on Opening Day against the rival Dodgers. He capped his first month in the big leagues with a four-hit game, raising his average to .339.
Cepeda was unanimously voted NL Rookie of the Year after batting .312 with 25 homers, 96 RBI and a league-leading 38 doubles. His 13 homers through the end of May were the most ever by a rookie, a mark that stood until Albert Pujols hit 16 in 2001.
Cepeda was so dominant as a rookie that he finished ninth in NL MVP voting. The next year, he made his first All-Star team. Early in his career, the Giants at times had trouble figuring out how to play Cepeda and Willie McCovey at the same time, but that didn't impact his numbers.
Cepeda's best statistical season was his fourth, when he led the league with 46 homers and 142 RBI while posting a .970 OPS. He finished second in NL MVP balloting, which would be his high as a Giant. One year later, Cepeda suffered a knee injury during offseason training, and by the end of the decade, he was wearing Cardinals red after a deal the Giants would come to regret.
Cepeda was limited to 33 games in 1965, and the following season, he was traded to St. Louis for left-hander Ray Sadecki. The Giants had McCovey playing at an MVP level by that point, and they did have a couple of good seasons out of Sadecki before trading him to the New York Mets. But Cepeda ended up pushing past the knee injury and returning to his power-hitting ways.
Cepeda was voted NL MVP in his first full season in St. Louis, batting .325 with 25 homers and 111 RBI. Just like with his Rookie of the Year Award one decade earlier, he won unanimously. But he soon was on the move again.
Cepeda was traded to the Atlanta Braves, and he finished his career with stints on the A's, Boston Red Sox and Kansas City Royals. He played more than 2,100 games in the big leagues, batting .297 with 379 home runs and 1,365 RBI. In 1999, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame, which is one of 14 halls he is part of around the world.
The Giants honored Cepeda by retiring his No. 30. In 2008, he became the fifth player in franchise history to have a statue outside the ballpark.