Lucky Hall Of Famer Number 53 - Orlando Cepeda

When he was first coming up, Orlando Cepeda was one of the most exciting young players in baseball. A highly touted prospect, he was the NL's unanimous Rookie of the Year in 1958. He first became an all-star in 1959, and led the league in homers and RBI's in 1961. One of the most popular players in the game, he took home NL MVP honors in 1967 and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1999 by the Veterans Committee. 

    Although his basic batting numbers look impressive (.297 / .350 / .499, 379 homers, 1,365 RBI's), Cepeda was not an ideal Hall of Famer and, in fact, a bit overrated. While most voters prefer simplistic batting stats, they rarely take into account things like defense and baserunning. Cepeda was a poor fielder, whether at first base or in the outfield, and was a lackluster baserunner. He did a lot of other little things wrong, too - for example, he didn't walk much for a power hitter, grounded into a lot of double plays, and batted .171 in three World Series. An "old 30," Cepeda had only one big year after he turned 30, when he hit .305 with 34 homers in 1970. 

    Cepeda was the unanimous choice for the MVP Award in 1967, more for popularity than merit. He had a nice season (.325 / .399 / .524, 25 homers, 111 RBI's), but hardly his best. Certainly Roberto Clemente, who hit 32 points higher and was miles ahead both defensively and on the bases, would have been a better pick. Cepeda wound up with 280 vote points and the award, while Clemente finished third with 129 vote points. 

    Although he was very popular and his basic batting numbers seem convincing, Cepeda was aged off the BBWAA ballot in 1994 and relied on the Veterans Committee for induction. The reason for this is, a few years after his retirement from baseball, he served a ten month jail sentence for drug possession. This put a huge damper on his reputation, and he struggled with the BBWAA until the VC came to his rescue. 

    Personally, I would not vote for someone who was imprisoned for breaking the law. While I admit that not everyone in Cooperstown was the embodiment of Christian virtue (nobody's perfect), there is a hard line between being an unpleasant person and actually being a convicted felon. While it is impossible for us to judge someone's mind or soul (nor should we try), it is possible to judge someone's actions, and Cepeda was found guilty of a crime and served jail time. That, and his already marginal career as a player, is enough for me to exclude Cepeda from my ballot. 

    Just a small tangent: Isn't it absurd that Joe Jackson, who was found not guilty on trial for helping throw the 1919 World Series, was banned from baseball for life, while Cepeda, who served jail time, is in the Hall of Fame? 

https://thecooperstownadvocate.blogspot.com/2022/12/two-black-sox.html 

My opinion: Orlando Cepeda is not a Hall of Famer.