Editor’s note: Throughout this year Press Room Pass will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of the 1969 baseball season with a variety of stories from the covering personal accomplishments, unique moments, major league expansion and the amazing New York Mets. This is the latest installment of that series.
The Sporting News began selecting one post-season all-star team in 1925. By 1961, the magazine was choosing a team for each league.
The 1969 squad for the National League was led by Most Valuable Player Willie McCovey of San Francisco.
Here’s a look at the full squad:
1B – Willie McCovey (San Francisco) was named the NL MVP after after winning the home run and RBI titles for the second year in a row. He had career-high numbers with 45 homers and 126 RBI. He also topped the league in on-base (.453), slugging (.656) percentage and 45 intentional walks. He made his fourth of six all-star appearances.
2B – Glenn Beckert (Chicago) was one of three Cubs to be honored by the Sporting News in 1969. It was the first of three straight years for him after winning a Gold Glove in 1968. He batted .291 as the Cubs finished second in the NL East with 92 wins, which was the most in the 1960s for the organization.
3B – Ron Santo (Chicago) was clicking his heals a lot during the 1969 season as he led the Cubs with 29 homers and 123 RBI, while topping the NL with 14 sacrifice flies. It was also his fourth and final time to be honored as a post-season all-star by the Sporting News.
SS – Don Kessinger (Chicago) earned his second of three consecutive appearances on the Sporting News All-Star Team in 1969. He also won his first of two Gold Gloves. He batted .273 and hit four homers, while driving in 53 runs with 11 stolen bases. He was an all-star six times with five in a row from 1968 to 1972.
OF – Cleon Jones (New York) caught the final out as the Mets capped off their world championship in 1969. Jones led the Mets that season in batting at .340 as he made his only NL all-star team. He finished with 12 homers, 75 RBI and a team-high 16 stolen bases.
OF – Matty Alou (Pittsburgh) led the NL with 231 hits and 41 doubles in 1969 as he made his second all-star roster. He finished with a .331 batting average, which was his lowest total since 1965. He would end his 15-year career as a .307 hitter.
OF – Hank Aaron (Atlanta) was playing his 16th season with the Braves and he led the team to the NL West title with 44 homers and 97 RBI, while batting .300. An all-star from 1955 to 1975, he finished the decade of the 1960s with 554 homers, trailing only Babe Ruth (714) and Willie Mays (600) on the all-time list. He would eventually pass both of them to set an all-time mark of 755 in 1976.
C – Johnny Bench (Cincinnati) was in just his third season and was primed to become a superstar as he finished third on the Reds with 26 homers and 90 RBI. By the time he 21 years old, he had won the NL Rookie of the Year in 1968 and his second of 10 straight Gold Gloves in 1969. He would go on to win the NL MVP in 1970 and 1972.
P – Steve Carlton (St. Louis) was 17-11 with a 2.17 ERA in 1969 as he made his second of 10 NL all-star teams. He was the winning pitcher of the 1969 contest. On Sept. 15, he established a then record of 19 strikeouts in a nine-inning game as the Cardinals lost 4-3 to the Mets. He would win a Cy Young award in 1972.
P – Tom Seaver (New York) won the Cy Young award in 1969 as he led the NL in wins with a 25-7 record and a 2.21 ERA with five shutouts to help the Mets win the World Series. He finished second in the MVP race behind McCovey. He won the first game of the playoff against the Braves and then game four of the World Series against the Baltimore Orioles.