MLB Hall Of Fame Member Orlando Cepeda Passes Away At 86

Orlando Cepeda — an 11-time MLB All-Star and member of the Major League Baseball Hall of fame — passed away on Friday at the age of 86.

The San Francisco Giants and Cepeda’s family announced his death on Friday night “Our beloved Orlando passed away peacefully at home this evening, listening to his favorite music and surrounded by his loved ones,” his wife, Nydia, said in a statement released through the team. “We take comfort that he is at peace.”

The Giants held a moment of silence in his honor and displayed his picture on the scoreboard at Oracle Park ahead of the team’s game with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Cepeda, a native of Puerto Rico, spent parts of 17 seasons in the big leagues with the New York/San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, Atlanta Braves, Oakland A’s, Boston Red Sox and Kansas City Royals. The Hall of Fame slugger finished his career with 2,351 hits, 379 home runs, 417 doubles, 142 stolen bases, 1,365 RBI and 50.1 WAR.

His impressive stat line led to 11 All-Star nods, a Rookie of the Year award, and an MVP. He was selected to the Hall of Fame through the Veteran’s Committee in 1999.

Cepeda with the San Francisco Giants in 1965

Cepeda spent nine of his 17 seasons with the Giants after signing with the team in late 1953.

He played alongside many Giants greats of the era, including the late Willie Mays, who passed away earlier this month. “Right from the beginning, I fell in love with the city. There was everything that I liked. We played more day games then, so I usually had at least two nights a week free On Thursdays, I would always go to the Copacabana to hear the Latin music. On Sundays, after games, I’d go to the Jazz Workshop for the jam sessions,” Cepeda said of his time in San Francisco.

In May of 1965, Cepeda was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for left-hander Ray Sadecki. He would go on to notch perhaps the best season of his career with the club in 1967, when he produced a league-leading 111 RBI’s en route to an MVP award.

“MLB mourns the passing of Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda at the age of 86,” the league said in a statement.

MLB mourns the passing of Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda at the age of 86.

Known as “Cha-Cha” and “The Baby Bull,” Cepeda slugged 379 home runs, batted .297, and made 11 All-Star teams over 17 seasons.

He was unanimously selected as the NL Rookie of the Year in 1958 with the… pic.twitter.com/9ne5NDkHfP

— MLB (@MLB) June 29, 2024