Baseball Executive Kevin Towers Dead At 56 Of Thyroid Cancer

Former Padres and Diamondbacks general manager Kevin Towers died Tuesday morning of thyroid cancer, which he was diagnosed with in late 2016. Towers was known as a popular and insightful executive, first entering the front office ranks as a scout before he became the Padres’ GM in 1995.

Towers spent 14 years with the Padres, including during the 1998 World Series season (though they were swept by the Yankees). In late 2010, he was hired by the Diamondbacks, though he was pushed out in 2014 when Tony La Russa was hired above him as chief baseball officer.

Towers’s cancer diagnosis was revealed during the 2017 World Series, when Astros manager A.J. Hinch named him on his Stand Up To Cancer card.