1969 in baseball

: New York Mets over Baltimore Orioles (4–1); Donn Clendenon, MVP

World Series

Baseball Hall of Fame

Most Valuable Player

Cy Young Award

Rookie of the Year

Gold Glove Award

January 2 – In response to major-league owners' continued refusal to increase their contributions to the players' pension fund commensurately with their television broadcast revenues, the urges players not to sign any new contracts.

Major League Baseball Players Association

January 21 – and Roy Campanella are voted into the Hall of Fame by BBWAA members.

Stan Musial

January 22 – The trade first baseman Donn Clendenon and outfielder Jesús Alou to the Houston Astros for outfielder Rusty Staub. But Clendenon refuses to report because of a personality clash with Astro manager Harry Walker that dates to their tenure together with the Pittsburgh Pirates between 1965 and 1967. On April 8, the Expos send pitchers Jack Billingham and Skip Guinn and $100,000 to Houston to replace Clendenon in the trade.

Montreal Expos

January 1 –

Roberto Rivera

January 3 –

Cris Colón

January 6 –

Alvin Morman

January 7 –

Chris Hatcher

January 8 –

Brian Boehringer

January 9 –

Domingo Jean

January 10 –

Takahito Nomura

January 11 –

Manny Acta

January 13 –

Kevin Foster

January 13 –

Orlando Miller

January 15 –

Delino DeShields

January 16 –

Kevin McGehee

January 19 –

Orlando Palmeiro

January 21 –

Rusty Greer

January 22 –

Keith Gordon

January 27 –

Phil Plantier

January 5 – , 75, 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m), 215 lb (98 kg) pitcher who worked in 142 games for the Chicago Cubs (1922–1924) and Brooklyn Robins (1924–1925); father of Bobo Osborne.

Tiny Osborne

January 5 – , 81, catcher for Boston (American League) in 1914, then Brooklyn and Newark (both of the "outlaw" Federal League) in 1915.

Larry Pratt

January 6 – , 82, three-time 20-game winning pitcher for the Chicago Cubs (1911–1915), Brooklyn Robins (1915–1919), Boston Braves (1919) and Philadelphia Phillies (1919); led National League hurlers with 26 victories in 1912.

Larry Cheney

January 6 – , 89, pitcher for the 1905 Boston Americans.

Hank Olmsted

January 6 – , 79, pitcher who as a rookie won 17 games for the 1915 Pittsburgh Rebels of the Federal League; later, hurled in six contests for 1921 Cincinnati Reds.

Clint Rogge

January 6 – , 78, Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman who played in 506 games from 1912 to 1916.

Jim Viox

January 7 – , 56, minor-league catcher who spent nine years (1951–1959) as bullpen coach of the Cleveland Indians.

Bill Lobe

January 18 – , 73, second baseman turned executive and scout; general manager of Pittsburgh Pirates (1946), farm system director of Pirates (1947–1948) and Detroit Tigers (1949–1951), and player personnel director of Kansas City Athletics (1955); appeared in one MLB game as a player for the St. Louis Browns (1916).

Ray Kennedy

January 21 – , 62, pitcher who threw three scoreless innings of relief in his lone MLB appearance on August 18, 1932, as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Dick Terwilliger

January 23 – , 85, shortstop whose apparent game-winning single for the New York Giants in a 1908 contest led to the controversial play in which baserunner Fred Merkle was eventually called out for not touching second base.

Al Bridwell

January 27 – , 86, reserve outfielder for 1908–1911 St. Louis Browns.

Al Schweitzer

January 29 – , 55, star Long Island University athlete and outfielder for the Homestead Grays and New York Black Yankees of the Negro National League in 1944; also played professional basketball.

Dolly King

January 30 – , 84, catcher/outfielder for Dayton and St. Louis of the Negro National League over five seasons spanning 1920 to 1925.

Sam Bennett