Orlando Cepeda was one of the first Puerto Rican players to excel in the major leagues, a slugging first baseman known by the moniker “Baby Bull” who went on to become a Hall of Famer. He passed away. He was eighty-six.
A moment of silence was observed on the Oracle Park scoreboard halfway through a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, following the announcement of his passing by the San Francisco Giants and his family on Friday night.
Orlando’s wife, Nydia, published a statement through the team stating, “Our beloved Orlando passed away peacefully at home this evening, listening to his favorite music and surrounded by his loved ones. We take comfort that he is at peace.”
Up until he experienced some health issues in 2017, Cepeda often attended Giants home games.
After suffering a cardiac attack in February 2018, he was admitted to a hospital in the Bay Area.
He became Boston’s first designated hitter and attributes his time as a DH with earning him inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1999 after being chosen by the Veterans Committee. He was one of the first Puerto Rican stars in the majors but was hindered by knee injuries.
In December 1972, Cepeda was unemployed when the Red Sox contacted to ask if he would be interested in serving as their first designated hitter. The unemployed player immediately said yes.
Cepeda spent 17 seasons as a player for six MLB teams and was an 11-time All-Star.
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He played for the Giants for nine seasons before winning the 1958 NL Rookie of the Year title. In 1967, he hit a career-high.325 with 25 home runs and 111 RBIs to win the NL MVP award with the Cardinals.
His career batting average was.297, and he amassed 1,365 RBIs and 379 home runs.
Together with Albert Pujols, who won MVP in 2009 and Rookie of the Year in 2001, Cepeda is one of just two players in NL history to win both awards unanimously.
Before his arrest in 1975, one year after retiring from the game after 17 seasons, on suspicion of possessing marijuana, for which he served nine months in jail, Cepeda was an obvious candidate for the Hall of Fame.
Twenty years after initially being eligible, he was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1999.
