Orlando Cepeda, the slugging first baseman nicknamed “Baby Bull” who became a Hall of Famer after being among the early Puerto Rican stars in the major leagues, has died. He was 86.
The San Francisco Giants and his family announced the death Friday night, and a moment of silence was held as the scoreboard at Oracle Park displayed his photo midway through a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Cepeda died 10 days after Giants great Willie Mays, a teammate.
Cepeda also played first base and outfield during his 17 seasons in the majors, beginning with the Giants. He also spent time with St. Louis, Atlanta, Oakland, Boston, and Kansas City. A seven-time All-Star who played in three World Series, Cepeda was the 1958 NL Rookie of the Year with San Francisco and NL MVP in 1967 with St. Louis. In 1961, Cepeda led the NL with 46 homers and 142 RBIs. He was a .297 career hitter with 379 home runs.
