Former Padres Coach Passes Away

Former San Diego Padres scout and coach Jack Bloomfield, who gained fame as one of the first American-born baseball stars in Japan, died on Monday. He was 95.

Bloomfield took his first post-playing job as an amateur scout with the San Diego Padres in November 1968, months before the team played its first National League game as an expansion franchise in 1969. The Monte Alto, Texas native was assigned to cover the Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana regions.

During his time as Padres scout, Bloomfield was credited with recommending Dave Hilton, an infielder with the Padres from 1972-75, and catcher Bob Davis, who spent five seasons as the Padres' backup catcher (1973-78).

Bloomfield was elevated to Southwest Region Supervisor, then became the Padres' major league hitting coach and first base coach in 1974. He took over a star-studded team; the 1974 season was the first in San Diego for future Hall of Famer Willie McCovey and the first full major league campaign for rookie star Dave Winfield.

The Padres went 60-102 that season, the worst record in the National League. Their .229 batting average and .632 OPS were both league lows. Bloomfield was replaced by Dick Sisler after one season on the Padres' major league staff.

Prior to the 1975 campaign, Bloomfield took a coaching position in the Chicago Cubs' minor league system.

Bloomfield enjoyed a career in professional baseball that spanned more than 50 years as a player, coach and scout  —  a role he also took on with the Montreal Expos, Pittsburgh Pirates, Colorado Rockies, Houston Astros, Cubs, and New York Yankees.

As an infielder, Bloomfield spent five seasons in the Braves, Reds, Athletics and Pirates minor league systems without reaching the majors. He then became one of the first Americans to play professionally in Japan when he signed with the Kintetsu Buffaloes in 1960. He won back-to-back Pacific League batting titles in 1962 and 1963.

In seven seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball, Bloomfield compiled a .315 batting average and a .472 slugging percentage in more than 2,400 at-bats.

"I sure have had an interesting life," Bloomfield said in a 2022 interview with the Journal Gazette. "Didn't realize it as much until my daughter wanted to write a book and I started digging up information and stories of famous people I had met that were in all phases of life."

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