Orlando Cepeda, baseball player, 379 home runs, 1958-1974

Orlando Cepeda

⭐ Hall of Fame 1999

Born: 9/17/1937 in Ponce, P.R.

Died: 6/28/2024 in Concord, CA, USA

MLB Debut: 1958-04-15 | Final Game: 1974-09-19

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'2" | Weight: 210 lbs

Full name: Orlando Manuel Cepeda

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Biography

Orlando Cepeda, born in 1937, was a distinguished Major League Baseball player whose career spanned from 1958 to 1974. Known for his powerful hitting and consistent offensive production, Cepeda played in 2,124 games and amassed 2,351 hits, complemented by 379 home runs and 1,365 RBIs, all while maintaining a commendable batting average of .297. A dynamic presence on the field, he also showcased speed with 142 stolen bases, making him a multifaceted threat as a position player. Cepeda's impact on the game was profound, as he earned recognition with 11 All-Star selections and was honored as Rookie of the Year by The Sporting News. His contributions to the sport were further recognized when he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999. Playing during a transformative era in baseball, Cepeda was part of the National League's resurgence in offensive talent, helping to set the stage for future generations of players. His legacy as a formidable slugger and a key figure in the game remains celebrated among baseball historians and fans alike.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
2124 7927 1131 2351 417 27 379 1365 142 588 1169 0.297 0.350 0.499 0.849 32767.8

Career AVG .297 vs. league average .251 across their career seasons — +18.3% above league average.

Career OBP .350 vs. league average .317 across their career seasons — +10.2% above league average.

Career SLG .499 vs. league average .374 across their career seasons — +33.4% above league average.

Career OPS 0.849 vs. league average 0.692 across their career seasons — +22.8% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1958 SFG NL 148 603 88 188 38 4 25 96 15 29 84 0.312 .257 (+21%) .324 (+5%) .394 (+30%) .719 (+19%) 1996.6
1959 SFG NL 151 605 92 192 35 4 27 105 23 33 100 0.317 .256 (+24%) .323 (+10%) .392 (+33%) .715 (+23%) 2576.6
1960 SFG NL 151 569 81 169 36 3 24 96 15 34 91 0.297 .255 (+16%) .323 (+6%) .387 (+28%) .711 (+18%) 1914.3
1961 SFG NL 152 585 105 182 28 4 46 142 12 39 91 0.311 .258 (+20%) .328 (+10%) .399 (+52%) .727 (+33%) 3765.2
1962 SFG NL 162 625 105 191 26 1 35 114 10 37 97 0.306 .257 (+19%) .326 (+6%) .393 (+32%) .719 (+20%) 2396.3
1963 SFG NL 156 579 100 183 33 4 34 97 8 37 70 0.316 .246 (+28%) .308 (+18%) .371 (+51%) .680 (+36%) 3923.3
1964 SFG NL 142 529 75 161 27 2 31 97 9 43 83 0.304 .250 (+22%) .312 (+16%) .377 (+43%) .690 (+30%) 2990.6
1965 SFG NL 33 34 1 6 1 0 1 5 0 3 9 0.176 — — — — 0.0
1966 SFG NL 19 49 5 14 2 0 3 15 0 4 11 0.286 — — — — 199.7
1966 STL NL 123 452 65 137 24 0 17 58 9 34 68 0.303 .248 (+22%) .309 (+17%) .376 (+25%) .685 (+21%) 199.7
1967 STL NL 151 563 91 183 37 0 25 111 11 62 75 0.325 .242 (+34%) .306 (+30%) .357 (+47%) .663 (+39%) 4292.5
1968 STL NL 157 600 71 149 26 2 16 73 8 43 96 0.248 .236 (+5%) .298 (+3%) .340 (+11%) .638 (+7%) 745.3
1969 ATL NL 154 573 74 147 28 2 22 88 12 55 76 0.257 .248 (+3%) .320 (+2%) .369 (+16%) .689 (+9%) 963.4
1970 ATL NL 148 567 87 173 33 0 34 111 6 47 75 0.305 .253 (+20%) .325 (+12%) .385 (+41%) .711 (+28%) 3031.1
1971 ATL NL 71 250 31 69 10 1 14 44 3 22 29 0.276 .249 (+11%) .316 (+4%) .365 (+35%) .682 (+20%) 783.2
1972 ATL NL 28 84 6 25 3 0 4 9 0 7 17 0.298 .243 (+22%) .310 (+13%) .353 (+35%) .664 (+25%) 312.9
1972 OAK AL 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 312.9
1973 BOS AL 142 550 51 159 25 0 20 86 0 50 81 0.289 .256 (+13%) .325 (+8%) .378 (+17%) .703 (+13%) 1368.7
1974 KCR AL 33 107 3 23 5 0 1 18 1 9 16 0.215 .256 (-16%) .324 (-13%) .369 (-22%) .693 (-18%) -299.3

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
22 87 6 18 5 0 3 12 3 13 0.207

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1969 NLCS ATL 3 11 2 5 2 0 1 3 1 2 0.455
1968 WS SLN 7 28 2 7 0 0 2 6 2 3 0.250
1967 WS SLN 7 29 1 3 2 0 0 1 0 4 0.103
1962 WS SFN 5 19 1 3 1 0 0 2 0 4 0.158

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 1683 1640 14459 1012 162 1192
3B 4 4 2 3 3 0
OF 231 217 368 15 12 3

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1958 SFN 1B 147 147 1322 97 16 131
1959 SFN 1B 122 102 929 70 16 74
1959 SFN 3B 4 4 2 3 3 0
1959 SFN OF 44 43 64 1 3 0
1960 SFN 1B 63 61 518 27 10 37
1960 SFN OF 91 86 163 10 3 3
1961 SFN 1B 81 75 644 47 2 50
1961 SFN OF 80 76 130 4 3 0
1962 SFN 1B 160 154 1353 88 13 125
1962 SFN OF 2 2 3 0 1 0
1963 SFN 1B 150 147 1262 83 21 91
1963 SFN OF 3 0 0 0 0 0
1964 SFN 1B 139 139 1211 80 18 89
1964 SFN OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1965 SFN 1B 4 3 27 2 0 1
1965 SFN OF 2 2 1 0 0 0
1966 SFN 1B 6 5 55 1 0 5
1966 SFN OF 8 8 7 0 2 0
1966 SLN 1B 120 120 1109 62 13 111
1967 SLN 1B 151 150 1304 90 10 103
1968 SLN 1B 154 154 1362 90 17 109
1969 ATL 1B 153 152 1318 101 9 91
1970 ATL 1B 148 147 1288 112 12 100
1971 ATL 1B 63 63 586 49 5 60
1972 ATL 1B 22 21 171 13 0 15

Career Games by Position

Position Games
First Base 1683
Third Base 4
Left Field 213
Right Field 19
Designated Hitter 168

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1973 Outstanding DH Award
1967 Most Valuable Player
1967 TSN All-Star 1B
1967 TSN Player of the Year
1962 TSN All-Star 1B
1961 TSN All-Star 1B
1959 TSN All-Star 1B
1958 Rookie of the Year
1958 TSN Rookie of the Year non-Pitcher

Featured In Rankings

#17
Top 20 First Basemen in History of MLB Baseball
Ranked 17 of 20
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Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1973 Most Valuable Player AL 15th 21.0 336 0
1969 Most Valuable Player NL 36th 1.0 336 0
1967 Most Valuable Player NL 1st 280.0 280 20
1966 Most Valuable Player NL 13th 22.0 280 0
1962 Most Valuable Player NL 15th 9.0 280 0
1961 Most Valuable Player NL 2nd 117.0 224 0
1959 Most Valuable Player NL 19th 3.0 336 0
1958 Most Valuable Player NL 9th 57.0 336 0
1958 Rookie of the Year NL 1st 21.0 24 21