This week we add the "Baby Bull" Orlando Cepeda to my ongoing 1971 "Minor League Days" thread, shown here as an 18-year-old with the St. Cloud Rox in his first season of professional ball in 1956:
Cepeda
did nothing but destroy opposing pitching in the Minors, as was the
case in 1956 when he hit .355 with 26 homers and 177 hits in 125 games
for St. Cloud.
The
following year he'd move on to the Minneapolis Millers, where he would
hit .309 with 25 homers, 108 runs batted in and 91 runs before getting
the call to start the 1958 season in the Big Leagues at the age of 20.
Of
course, he would not disappoint, as he would take home the Rookie of
the Year that season, hitting .312 with 188 hits, 25 homers, 96 RBIs and
a league-leading 38 doubles, in what was to become a "typical" season
for the future Hall of Famer.
While Cepeda's career was productive enough to get into Cooperstown,
it's well known that if not for his bad knees, his final statistics
could have been mind blowing.
Nevertheless, by the time he retired, he posted final numbers of: 379 homers, 1365 runs batted in, 2351 hits and a .297 average, with a Rookie of the Year (1958) and M.V.P. award (1967) thrown in.
It took a little while, but he was finally inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1999 after being selected by the Veteran's Committee.
What a power trio San Francisco had in Cepeda, Willie Mays and Willie McCovey! Power to the ultimate degree!”
Nevertheless, by the time he retired, he posted final numbers of: 379 homers, 1365 runs batted in, 2351 hits and a .297 average, with a Rookie of the Year (1958) and M.V.P. award (1967) thrown in.
It took a little while, but he was finally inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1999 after being selected by the Veteran's Committee.
What a power trio San Francisco had in Cepeda, Willie Mays and Willie McCovey! Power to the ultimate degree!”
