Rod Craig

Rodney Paul Craig

• Bats Both, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 195 lb.
• School San Jacinto Junior College
• High School Narbonne High School
• Debut September 11, 1979
• Final Game May 5, 1986
• Born January 12, 1958 in Los Angeles, CA USA
• Died August 17, 2013 in Los Angeles, CA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Outfielder Rod Craig played parts of four years in the majors.

Signed by the expansion Seattle Mariners in 1977, Craig made his pro debut that summer with the Bellingham Mariners. He reached the majors with the club on September 11, 1979, going 2-for-4 as the starting right fielder against the Texas Rangers. Over the remainder of the season, he was Seattle's starter in right, hitting .385/.396/.577 with 8 doubles in 16 games. He started 1980 as the M's Opening Day center fielder, and in the season's second game he went 3-for-5 with a double, a home run, and five RBI. After hitting just .230 through June 11th, he spent the next several months with the Spokane Indians. He was back with Seattle in September and ended the year with a .238/.293/.346 line with three home runs in 70 big league games. Prior to the 1981 season, he was dealt to the Cleveland Indians for Wayne Cage and spent the entire year with the Triple A Charleston Charlies. He returned to the bigs the following summer and hit .231/.275/.262 in 49 games for the Tribe. He remained in the Indians organization for two more years, then split 1985 between the Mexican League and the New York Mets system. He had his last big league cup of coffee with the Chicago White Sox in 1986.

Craig was stabbed to death in 2013. He had struggled with mental illness and became homeless following his playing days, spending time in a California psychiatric hospital after striking a fellow homeless person with a rock in 2004. On August 17, 2013, a dispute erupted between two men and Craig when the latter was kicked out of a homeless encampment in which he was trying to stay. One of the two other men, Billy Morales, pulled out a knife to settle the dispute and fatally stabbed the ex-big leaguer. Morales was convicted of second-degree murder in January 2015 and sentenced to 16 years to life in prison.

Related Sites

• Rodney Craig at the SABR Bio Project