Happy Birthday to Orlando Cepeda, Hall of Fame First Baseman. In a 17-year career, Cepeda played for the San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, Atlanta Braves, Oakland Athletics, Boston Red Sox, and Kansas City Royals. Cepeda had his prime seasons with the Giants, where he played most of his career and won an MVP and World Series ring with the St Louis Cardinals.

Career Statistics/Accolades (1958-1974):

.297 BA 2,351 HITS 379 HR 1,365 RBI 1,131 RUNS .350 OBP

• 11x All-Star

• 1958 Rookie of the Year

• 1967 MVP

• 1967 World Series Champion

Spending a lot of his career with the Giants, he had Willie McCovey as a teammate, and the Giants constantly alternated the two between the Outfield and First Base. For most of his career, Cepeda played First Base, where lifetime he was a .990 Fielder. To this day, he ranks 8th all-time among First Baseman in Assists (1,012) and Double Plays (1,192).

Offensively is what Cepeda is remembered for, and rightfully so. During his prime years, in which his ages 24-30 seasons took place in the Dominant Starting Pitching Era, Cepeda was regarded as one the more consistent power hitters of his time. While the league Batting Averages were declining to the 260s and 250s, he batted over .300 nine times and drove in 100 or more RBIs five times. In 1961, he was runner-up to Frank Robinson for the MVP, though he led the league with 46 HR and 142 RBIs. In 1967, with the Cardinals, Cepeda took home the NL MVP and the World Series.

Along with Frank and including guys like Brooks Robinson and Roberto Clemente, his prime years took place in the Dominant Starting Pitching Era, where the Strike Zone was extended from the top of the batter’s shoulder to the bottom of their knee, giving the pitcher an extreme advantage. So, looking at Cepeda, he finished his career very close to being a .300 hitter and was only 135 short of 1,500 RBIs. Had MLB never changed the strike zone after 1961, Cepeda would’ve easily eclipsed a lifetime .300 Average and 1,500 RBIs lifetime, as well as putting up even better overall numbers during those years. While it took until 1999, Cepeda was voted in by the Veterans Committee into the Baseball Hall of Fame, making him the second Puerto Rican-born player to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

References:

1. Orlando Cepeda via Wikipedia: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orlando_Cepeda

2. Orlando Cepeda via Baseball-Reference: https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/cepedor01.shtml