Kim never played or managed in the majors, but he carved out a niche as one of the game’s most well-regarded instructors.
MORE: Notable sports deaths of 2015
The Hawaii native, who stood only 5-foot-5, had an eight-year playing career in the Giants’ farm system but couldn’t get over the Triple-A hump. He made the transition to the dugout early, becoming manager of San Francisco’s Midwest League affiliate in Clinton, Iowa, in 1981 at age 31. He went 52-80 that season but eventually hit his stride, putting together five consecutive winning seasons as a minor league manager.
That work got him noticed at higher levels, and he ended up serving as a major league coach for the Giants (1989-96), Red Sox (1997-2000), Expos (2002) and Cubs (2003-04).
He managed the Nationals’ Gulf Coast League affiliate in 2005 but started to develop short-term memory loss and eventually was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s.
