David Lancaster contacted me and asked if I had ever featured Orlando Cepeda’s 1961 APBA card on Monday yet. I confessed I had not. David was kind enough to provide a copy of this 2019 BATS version of the card.
I can see why David asked about Baby Bull’s 1961 card. It’s a great one especially for the era. At age 23, Cepeda led the NL with 46 homers and 142 rbis while hitting .311 for the Giants. He slugged a mighty .609 while getting on base at a .362 clip. That helped him score 105 runs for the season.
All Star Cepeda came in second in the NL MVP voting only to Frank Robinson that year.
| Split | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 Totals | 152 | 637 | 585 | 105 | 182 | 28 | 4 | 46 | 142 | 13 | 39 | 91 | .311 | .362 | .609 |
Orlando Cepeda had five power numbers before it was trendy. He has 1-1-0-0-0 with six second column ones. The 2019 re-publication of his card for the ’61 season has both a 3 and a 5 in the second column which is becoming more prevalent.
Baby Bull also has nifty 55-7 too. In addition, he has four 8s (remember those days?).
I was a little surprised that Cepeda’s 1961 card didn’t have a first column speed number to replicate his 12 stolen bases. Instead, the APBA card makers decided to place eight 11s in the second column to make sure he got his due.
Cepeda has three 24s due to his real life 21 GIDPs. It’s worth noting that the third one is at 46 (and not 26) on this card. This is because this set features the 12 at 26.
At 211 pounds, Cepeda is still a fast big boy. Not surprisingly, he is rated a 1B-4 for his defense. He gets an OF-1 for his play in the outfield. For those replayers who stick to actual playing usage, he did play half his time in either left or right field. Remember, the Giants had Willie McCovey.
Thanks David for a great suggestion!
