I loved the 1975 MVP subset when I was a kid, and I’ve decided if getting all of the featured cards isn’t a realistic goal for me, that doesn’t mean I can’t get *some* of the cards.
Today I’m going to look at Orlando Cepeda, the 1967 NL MVP.
Here’s my card from the 1975 subset, one that I’ve had for over 45 years…
Here’s the actual card I recently acquired…
So why was Orlando Cepeda the 1967 NL MVP?
The Cardinals finished in 6th place in 1966, but in 1967 would win 101 games and finish 10.5 games ahead of the 2nd place Giants (Cepeda’s former team) before beating the Red Sox in 7 games. Cepeda batted .325 with a league-leading 111 RBI. He also scored 91 runs and hit 25 homers
Cepeda got all of the first place votes – just the second NL Player to win the MVP unanimously – and handily beat his competition with 280 points as compared to Tim McCarver’s 136 and Roberto Clemente’s 129.
The Shlabotnik Report 
I remember that season very well — the incredible run that the Cardinals enjoyed and the stellar season put together by Cepeda, who had been acquired from the Giants for pitcher Ray Sadeki in 1966. Cepeda’s feats were accomplished while the pitching mound was still much higher (it would be lowered significantly after the 1968 season) and the pitchers of that era definitely had a BIG advantage over the hitters. This explains MLB’s lower overall batting averages and the less-than-normal RBI totals in this period. Cepeda was on a tear that entire season and definitely filled the gap the Cards had created when they dealt fan favorite 1st baseman Bill White (later a broadcaster and the President of the National League, 1989-1994) to the Phillies the previous season.
I didn’t realize until recently that Cepeda was a fan favorite in STL… but stuff like that is why I enjoy researching these posts
Were you able to at least get all of the 1975 MVP subset cards, as opposed to the actual cards themselves? I do need to get this particular Cepeda myself….
I completed the entire 1975 Topps set when I was a kid, so I’ve been dreaming on these MVP cards for a long time