Orlando Cepeda
The Baby Bull could flat-out rake, but his 1970 comeback season stands as one of baseball's great redemption stories. After missing most of 1968-69 with knee problems, Cepeda bounced back at age 33 to post his best OPS+ of 128 while driving in 111 runs for Atlanta. That performance came seven years after his 1967 MVP campaign, proving his bat never really left him.
Cepeda's .297 career average and 379 home runs tell only part of the story. His 113 career OPS+ sustained over 17 seasons made him one of the era's most consistent run producers, even as injuries limited his defensive value later in his career. The Puerto Rican slugger became the first player from the island to reach the Hall of Fame, opening doors that Roberto Clemente would walk through.
His seven All-Star selections span from his 1958 Rookie of the Year season through that remarkable 1970 resurgence, showcasing remarkable longevity for a first baseman in an era when careers often ended abruptly.
Career · Batting
17 seasons| Year | Team | G | AB | HR | RBI | AVG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | SF | 148 | 603 | 25 | 96 | .312 | .854 | — |
| 1959 | SF | 151 | 605 | 27 | 105 | .317 | .878 | — |
| 1960 | SF | 151 | 569 | 24 | 96 | .297 | .840 | — |
| 1961 | SF | 152 | 585 | 46 | 142 | .311 | .970 | — |
| 1962 | SF | 162 | 625 | 35 | 114 | .306 | .865 | — |
| 1963 | SF | 156 | 579 | 34 | 97 | .316 | .929 | — |
| 1964 | SF | 142 | 529 | 31 | 97 | .304 | .900 | — |
| 1965 | SF | 33 | 34 | 1 | 5 | .176 | .519 | — |
| 1966 | STL | 142 | 501 | 20 | 73 | .301 | .834 | — |
| 1967 | STL | 151 | 563 | 25 | 111 | .325 | .923 | — |
| 1968 | STL | 157 | 600 | 16 | 73 | .248 | .685 | — |
| 1969 | ATL | 154 | 573 | 22 | 88 | .257 | .753 | — |
| 1970 | ATL | 148 | 567 | 34 | 111 | .305 | .908 | 128 |
| 1971 | ATL | 71 | 250 | 14 | 44 | .276 | .822 | 121 |
| 1972 | ATL | 31 | 87 | 4 | 9 | .287 | .800 | 120 |
| 1973 | BOS | 142 | 550 | 20 | 86 | .289 | .793 | 113 |
| 1974 | KC | 33 | 107 | 1 | 18 | .215 | .572 | 82 |
| Career | 2124 | 7927 | 379 | 1365 | .297 | — | — | |
Matchups, projections, comps — grounded in Lahman, Retrosheet, and Statcast.