Inductees

Orlando Cepeda is considered one of Major League Baseball’s pioneers, because he was instrumental in breaking down barriers for Latin American players. “The Baby Bull”, is the son of legendary Puerto Rican baseball star Perucho “The Bull” Cepeda. As a 20 year old rookie in 1958, Orlando belted a home run to help the San Francisco Giants beat the Los Angeles Dodgers. He went on to win the 1958 Rookie of the Year honors, but the awards don’t stop there. Cepeda was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1966 where he made a fresh start and earned the 1966 Comeback Player of the Year. In 1967, he earned the Most Valuable Player trophy in leading the Cardinals past the Red Sox for the pennant.

In 1999, Cepeda was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. He became on the second Puerto Rican native to enter the Hall. He also became only the ninth player in the Giants’ 117 year history to have his jersey number retired.