Kevin Towers was a seat-of-the-pants, throwback type of man who did whatever it took to make the San Diego Padres competitive, almost always with a limited payroll.
A 1982 first-round draft pick who blew out his elbow and did not pitch in the major leagues, Towers advanced through the Padres’ organization and spent 14 years as general manager, a tenure that included four NL West titles and an appearance in the 1998 World Series.
Known around baseball simply as KT, Towers died Tuesday morning from cancer complications with his wife, Kelley, at his side. He was 56.