Kevin Towers was alternately emotional, thankful, and proud during his press conference today, after it was announced that he would be leaving the San Diego Padres. KT ends a 14-year tenure as GM, the longest of any current GM. Towers joked to start his prepared comments that after 47 years on Earth, he was fired for the first time:
He was at his most emotional toward the end of his opening comments, when he responded for the first time to the comments of CEO Jeff Moorad. In the U-T on Saturday morning, Moorad called Towers a “gunslinger”, and in his press conference earlier in the afternoon, he talked about wanting more “focus” and “discipline” in the front office. Towers, who once famously wore a sherriff’s outfit, complete with badge and stirrups, on the cover of the Padres’ media guide, was more than happy to wear the title of “gunslinger”:
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Hear more from Kevin Towers after the jump:
The overriding message from Jeff Moorad’s comments today was that he was dissatisfied with the scouting and player development branch of the Padres’ front office. This certainly does not auger well for people such as Grady Fuson, Bill Gayton, and the rest of the scouting staff, although Moorad said he would allow the incoming GM to make the rest of the front office decisions.
Towers responded to Moorad’s comments that the scouting/player development branch needed more “focus” and “discipline”:
While Towers did not disdain analytical research or sabermetrics, it is assumed that his successor will be a more methodical or systematic general manager. Kevin said his style was different from others:
What’s most baffling to those who follow the Padres is how Towers could be fired right when it appears his team has turned the corner, both at the major and minor league levels. In strikingly candid comments, Towers told the media he thought the Padres might lose 120 games this year when they broke spring training. It’s part of why 2009 will be one of the years he looks back at most fondly when he thinks of his time in San Diego:
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With Kyle Blanks, Everth Cabrera, Will Venable, Mat Latos, and Chase Headley joined by the raft of arms Towers acquired in deals this year, the Padres seem well positioned moving forward, something echoed by Moorad. Towers again choked up slightly as he thought back to the start of his term as Padres’ GM. He wants his successor to have the same kind of early success he enjoyed in 1996:
While Towers plans to take the next few weeks to decompress and ignore his Blackberry, he says he’s already been contacted by 7-8 teams to work immediately. Not knowing exactly why he’s leaving San Diego, KT knows he will land on his feet and be back in the game immediately:
Whichever team decides to next employ the “gunslinger”, we know that KT will keep trusting his gut, shooting from the hip, and mining the waiver wire and Rule V draft for hidden gems. That team’s gain will be our loss here in San Diego, as an era of Padres baseball indisputably comes to an end.
