Former umpire Nestor Chylak, turn-of-the-century manager Frank Selee and Negro Leagues pitcher Smokey Joe Williams also were selected.

The 12-member Veterans panel, which included Ted Williams and Stan Musial, passed over Bill Mazeroski, Dom DiMaggio, former manager Dick Williams and umpire Doug Harvey.

Candidates needed 75 percent -- nine votes -- for election. Voting totals were not released.

Induction ceremonies will be held July 25 at Cooperstown, N.Y. Nolan Ryan, George Brett and Robin Yount were elected in January by the Baseball Writers' Association of America.

Cepeda was the NL's rookie of the year in 1958 with San Francisco and the league's first unanimous MVP in 1967 with St. Louis. He hit .297 with 379 home runs and 1,365 RBIs.

Cepeda, 61, missed by just seven votes in the BBWAA election five years ago, his final try with the writers. He came close last year in voting by the Veterans.

In 1975, Cepeda was arrested at an airport on charges of trying to pick up 160 pounds of marijuana. He was sentenced to five years and served 10 months -- widely believed to have worked against him in previous bids for the Hall.

``I just hope this time I make it,'' said Cepeda, a community relations representative for the San Francisco Giants. ``It would be the highest thing. It's hard to describe how much it would mean.''

Cepeda played on great Giants teams with Willie Mays, Willie McCovey and Juan Marichal, all of them Hall of Famers. Marichal was on the Veterans panel that picked Cepeda.

Cepeda's father, Pedro, was called ``The Bull'' and also the ``Babe Ruth of Puerto Rico.'' Cepeda joins Roberto Clemente as the only Hall of Famers born in Puerto Rico.