Roger Craig, SF Giants manager who energized ’80s youth movement, dies

Roger Craig, who helped rally the San Francisco Giants to prominence in the 1980s and was known as “Humm Baby” for his positive and inspirational demeanor, died Sunday after what the team said was a short illness. He was 93.

“We have lost a legendary member of our Giants family.” Giants CEO Larry Baer said in a statement. “Roger was beloved by players, coaches, front-office staff and fans. He was a father figure to many and his optimism and wisdom resulted in some of the most memorable seasons in our history.”

Craig managed the Giants from 1985-92 and guided them to two National League West titles and the 1989 World Series. He was one of the few former Dodgers to wear the Orange and Black and win over hearts of Giants fans.

Late in the 1985 season, with the Giants heading for 100 losses, then-owner Bob Lurie hired Al Rosen to be his general manager, and Rosen quickly hired Craig. They changed the clubhouse mood and had players believing it was advantageous to play at cold and windy Candlestick Park.

“It was some of the best times of my life with Al and Bob Lurie,” Craig said in a Chronicle interview. “We had a lot of good, young players come up, starting with Will Clark and Robby Thompson.”

Craig’s standard advice was, “Don’t let your dauber down.” He managed the final 18 games of the Giants’ 100-loss season in 1985 and oversaw a youth movement in 1986 led by Clark at first base and Thompson at second.

The marketing slogan was, “You gotta like these kids,” and Craig energized the young Giants to a quick turnaround. They won their division in 1987 before losing a seven-game National League Championship Series to St. Louis.

“He was my second dad, my dad away from home. my first manager in the big leagues,” Clark said. “He and I got along really well. Al and Roger took over the year before. Robby and I came up, and one thing they said in spring training was, 'We’ll use Candlestick to our advantage, so get used to it. It’s going to be miserable, but it’s our ballpark, use it to our advantage.’ ”

In 1989, the Giants won their first pennant since 1962, beating the Cubs in a momentous NLCS, but got swept by the A’s in the World Series, which was postponed 10 days because of the Loma Prieta earthquake that rocked the Bay Area minutes before Game 3 was to start.

“Best manager I ever had. One of the best men I’ve ever met,” said Giants broadcaster and former pitcher Mike Krukow, whose final season as a player was with the 1989 Giants. “He made us all better. He taught us how to win. What more precious gift can you give an athlete? It’s funny, he was the guy at the helm in September 1985, but he was such an incredibly positive influence on me and made me a better person, better man, an unbelievable influence on all our lives, what he taught us on and off the field. He was our GOAT.”

When Craig took over the Giants, he asked Jeffrey Leonard, the outfielder known as “Hac Man” who preferred wearing his cap backward, to wear it like everyone else as part of the culture change pushed by Rosen.

“I said, ‘I’d really appreciate you turn your hat around.’ He said, ‘Don’t you know it’s my trademark?’ ” Craig said. “So before the ballgame, all the writers were waiting for Hac to come out. When he did, his hat was on backward. He walked to the cage, looked at me and put his hat on frontward.

“That was it. He and I had a good relationship after that. In fact, last time I was on the field in San Francisco (for a reunion), I was going around shaking hands. I got to Hac, and I turned my hat around. He cracked up. In his own way, he was a good leader. All the guys listened to him.”

Craig reached the World Series as a player, coach and manager. He pitched on two Dodgers teams that won the World Series, one in Brooklyn in 1955 and one in Los Angeles in 1959, and joined the expansion Mets in 1962 and was a 20-game loser in each of the franchise’s first two seasons.

Craig was traded to St. Louis, where he won a World Series in 1964. He rounded out his 12-year playing career with the Reds and Phillies.

Before joining the Giants, Craig was known as a pitching guru and champion of the split-fingered fastball, the pitch of the ’80s. As pitching coach of the Detroit Tigers, who won the 1984 World Series, Craig helped future Hall of Famer Jack Morris perfect the pitch and also taught it to Houston’s Mike Scott and others.

The Giants were Craig’s second managing gig. He also piloted the Padres in 1978, the first winning season in their history, and 1979. In San Francisco, he replaced Jim Davenport.

“When I got the job, (Davenport) called me and said, ‘Roger, I can run down the ballclub for you,’ and he’s probably the only manager who ever did that,” Craig said. “He said, ‘This guy can do this, this guy can’t do this.’ I was so thrilled he was doing it, I think I only half-listened. He was unbelievable.”

Craig stepped down from the Giants after the 1992 season as Lurie sold to the Peter Magowan group. Craig was replaced by his batting coach, Dusty Baker.

In retirement, Craig was an adviser to Diamondbacks manager Bob Brenly, a former Giants catcher, and Brenly gave Craig a World Series ring after Arizona won it in 2002.

Craig is survived by his wife, Carolyn, four children, seven grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.

Reach John Shea: jshea@sfchronicle.com; Twitter: @JohnSheaHey