My Take
Orlando Cepeda was the kind of player who made you fall in love with baseball all over again — pure joy, pure power, pure Caribbean swagger. The Baby Bull out of Ponce, Puerto Rico brought everything to the field: a booming first baseman's bat, a smile that could light up the dugout, and a ferocity at the plate that earned him the NL Rookie of the Year in 1958 and, after years of knee surgeries and hard knocks, a unanimous NL MVP with the Cardinals in 1967. He was one of those rare players who carried an entire city's pride on his back — San Francisco, then St. Louis loved him deeply. His road to Cooperstown took longer than it should have, but when the Veterans Committee finally called in 1999, nobody argued. Gone in June 2024 at 86, he left behind a legacy that Latin American ballplayers still walk through today.
Overview
Orlando Manuel Cepeda Pennes (Spanish pronunciation: [oɾˈlando seˈpeða]; September 17, 1937 – June 28, 2024), nicknamed "the Baby Bull" and "Peruchin", was a Puerto Rican professional baseball player, coach and scout.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Orlando Cepeda
- Name (Japanese)
- オーランド・セペダ
- Reading
- おーらんど・せぺだ
- Born
- September 17, 1937 – June 28, 2024
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Virgo / Ox
- Origin
- Ponce, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- 188 cm
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- baseball player
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
Awards & achievements
- 1967 Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.