Perucho Cepeda
From BR Bullpen
Pedro Anibal Cepeda (Perucho, The Bull)
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 5' 11", Weight 200 lb.
Pedro Cepeda, known as "Perucho" or "The Bull", was the father of Orlando Cepeda and a legendary Caribbean player. He was called the "Babe Ruth" of Puerto Rico because he was Puerto Rico's best player for many years.
A number of people, including reportedly his own son Orlando, have been quoted as saying that Pedro was even a better player than Orlando.
Cepeda played in Puerto Rico from 1928-50, hitting over .400 at least a couple of times. He won back-to-back batting titles in 1938-1939 (.365) and 1939-1940 (.386); his son duplicated the feat 20 years later. The first year, he edged Josh Gibson for the batting crown by six points. His five home runs that year ranked second to Gibson and his 8 triples tied Ed Stone for the lead. In 1940-1941, he hit .421, finishing third and ahead of legends like Buck Leonard, Josh Gibson, Roy Campanella and Monte Irvin. He led the league in RBI
He hit .464 or .377 depending on the source in 1942, beating out Irvin, Campanella and Willie Wells.
Alex Pompez of the New York Cubans tried to sign Cepeda many times. In 1941, he was listed on their roster, but no record has turned up of him playing a game. Cepeda was noted as being very distasteful of the racism in the United States and this is believed to be the primary reason he spent his career in Latin America.
He played for Guyama, San Juan, Caguas, and Ponce, and also played some in the Dominican Republic. He was a shortstop, known for a great arm, also playing first base and the outfield later in his career.
From around 1942 on, he worked for the San Juan Water Department, but still played baseball.
Sources include The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues by James Riley, The Complete Book of Baseball's Negro Leagues by John Holway
