Orlando Cepeda, the second Puerto Rican native to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame and one of the game's leading sluggers of his time, from the late 1950s to the early '70s, died on Friday. He was 86.
Playing for 17 seasons in the major leagues, mostly at first base but also in the outfield and, at the end of his career, as a designated hitter, Cepeda hit 379 home runs, had 2,351 hits, drove in 1,365 runs and had a career batting average of .297.
He was a unanimous selection as the National League's rookie of the year with the Giants in 1958, their first season in San Francisco.
Cepeda's father, Pedro, known as the Bull for his strength, was a professional baseball player, primarily a shortstop, who was called the Babe Ruth of Puerto Rico. Orlando Cepeda, a muscular 6-foot-2-inch, 210-pound right-handed power hitter, became known as the Baby Bull.
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