Orlando Cepeda 1967 National League MVP Award Plaque

In his first major league game, which was also the Giants' first regular-season game in San Francisco, Cepeda homered to help beat Don Drysdale and the Dodgers. It was a fitting start to a spectacular career that included nine .300 seasons and eight seasons with 25 or more homers. Bill Rigney, his manager for his first two ML seasons, called him "the best young righthanded power hitter I'd seen." He won Rookie of the Year honors in 1958 when he belted 25 homers, led the NL with 38 doubles, knocked in 96 runs, and batted .312. In 1961 he moved to first base, trading positions with Willie McCovey, and led the NL in home runs with 46 and RBI with 146, becoming more popular in San Francisco than teammate Willie Mays. After overcoming a knee injury in 1965, he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals where the 6'2" 210-lb slugger enjoyed his finest season. In leading St. Louis to a pennant in 1967, Cepeda topped the NL with 111 RBI and batted .325 and garnered National League MVP honors. Offered here is an identical twin to the plaque that was presented to Cepeda in 1967 in recognition of this paramount achievement. Since 1944, the award has been named after Kenesaw Mountain Landis, whose visage appears above the inscription "Most Valuable Player National League Orlando Cepeda St. Louis Cardinals." The Baseball Writers Association of America crest and inscribed date (1967) complete the notations on the plaque. Produced by Dieges & Clust, this exact duplicate version was likely retained by the trophy maker for display in their corporate headquarters. Such duplicate awards for many different players entered the marketplace when Dieges & Clust was taken over by Balfour. The wood and metal MVP award represents the pinnacle of the career of an enigmatic player, whose career achievements earned him induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999. In spite of a few minor nicks and scratches, the piece remains in excellent overall condition.