Former Padres, Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers Dies at Age 56

Former San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks general manager Kevin Towers died Tuesday at the age of 56.

According to MLB.com's Oliver Macklin, Towers died of cancer. In 2016, Towers was diagnosed with anaplastic thyroid cancer.

Towers served as the Padres' GM from 1995 through 2009 and was the Diamondbacks' general manager from 2010 until 2014.

The Padres won the NL West and reached the playoffs on four occasions during Towers' tenure, including a trip to the World Series in 1998, when they lost 4-0 to the New York Yankees.

Arizona won the NL West and reached the playoffs under Towers in 2011.

Towers was a scout for the Yankees between his GM stints, and after his time with the Diamondbacks, he became a scout with the Cincinnati Reds in 2015.

He was the Reds' special assistant to the GM/player personnel at the time of his death.

Prior to his success in the front office, Towers was a minor league pitching coach.

He also pitched at BYU and spent seven years as a minor league pitcher for the Padres after they selected him in the 1982 MLB draft.