Torey Lovullo Deserves Shot To Be Arizona Diamondbacks Forever Manager

Aug 12, 2026 03:25 AM - 1 hour ago 3

PHOENIX – Torey Lovullo’s early arsenic Arizona Diamondbacks head is hardly written successful stone. He’s a lame duck astatine extremity of his existent contract. But here’s a definitive connection from him astir his wishes:

“I want to travel backmost here,” Lovullo told Forbes this past play successful an exclusive interview. “I want to decorativeness the remainder of my profession successful this azygous and triumph world championships here.”

This is his connection to his bosses, proprietor Ken Kendrick, nine president Derrick Hall, and wide head Mike Hazen:

“I’m not a position jumper. I’m not an organizational jumper. I don’t judge successful that. I want to enactment put present and I admit what I’ve built present pinch the group astir maine and activity for Ken, Derrick and Mike arsenic difficult arsenic I perchance tin because that’s what I want to do. I want to impressment them.

“I want to link pinch the metropolis and telephone ourselves world champions. I’d beryllium honored to beryllium the D-backs head for the adjacent 10 years.”

Of people that’s up to them. But I wouldn’t beryllium penning this portion if I didn’t judge successful Lovullo. He’s a bully personification arsenic good arsenic a fantabulous shot man. We’re adjacent friends. In Torey we trust. And I’m surely not the only one.

Lovullo Has Been A Steady Force

Considering the team’s existent play and his ain grounds complete the people of 10 years, an statement successful his behalf tin surely beryllium made. His 728 victories are the most ever by a D-backs manager much than doubling Kirk Gibson’s erstwhile people of 353.

“Ten years is simply a agelong time,” Lovullo acknowledged.

He’s up location pinch Dave Roberts of the Dodgers and Pat Murphy of the Brewers arsenic the apical managers successful the National League. Over successful the American League, Kevin Cash of the Rays sets the standard.

Like Lovullo, I see each 3 to beryllium bully friends aft years of building relationships done broad coverage.

Should the D-backs re-sign Torey?

“I’m not an executive,” Roberts told maine this past play while the Dodgers were astatine Chase Field to suffer two-of-the 3 adjacent and nerve-racking games to the D-backs. “But from the different broadside he’s 1 of the very bully managers. He’s ever prepared. It’s a nary brainer. The character. The assemblage of work.

“Given wherever the statement has been up and down, he’s been a constant. He’s awesome for the game, for the metropolis of Phoenix, and a very bully advocator for the D-backs. He’s special.”

The Dodgers are struggling correct now to seizure 1 of the apical 2 seeds successful the NL pinch the Brewers and Braves to debar hosting a best-of-three Wild Card Series. The second would mean 13 wins to three-peat, which the Dodgers had to do past twelvemonth to conclusion the Blue Jays connected the last transportation of Game 7 to triumph the World Series. It takes its toll.

The apical 2 seeds gain a bye into the Division Series, which includes a week’s layoff and has its ain problems. But I tin show you this: the Dodgers don’t want to look the D-backs successful either 1 of the first 2 rounds. Lovullo and the D-backs person their number. They’re not acrophobic of playing the Dodgers either astatine location aliases astatine Dodger Stadium and narrowly won the play series.

The D-backs are correct location pinch the Phillies and Padres playing for the past 2 NL Wild Card spots. Considering injuries and the perpetually changing look of the squad this is nary mini feat. The D-backs are simply trying to triumph a crippled each azygous day, Lovullo said.

“Our boys play very difficult for maine and that’s each I attraction about,” he said. “We driblet concepts connected them. They judge responsibility. There’s a very clear connection to the players each day. There’s nary uncertainty. They spell retired location pinch a clear mind and a clear conscience, play the champion they can, and it shows up.”

Lovullo, Like Any Manager, Can Be Second-Guessed

To beryllium sure, anyone tin second-guess a head advertisement infinitum astir in-game moves that don’t activity out. Fans and the club’s level do conscionable that.

I wasn’t fond connected Saturday nighttime of Lovullo pinch-running for Nelson Arenado connected first guidelines pinch Ildemaro Vargas successful the bottommost of the eighth against the Dodgers successful what was past a 1-0 deficit. Lovullo was trying to necktie the score. That didn’t happen. But successful the ninth pinch the winning tally connected 3rd and 2 out, Vargas came up successful Arenado’s spot. He struck out. Wouldn’t you person wanted a early Hall of Famer hitting there? The D-backs mislaid successful the 10th. Little things.

In Game 5 of the 2023 World Series against the Rangers, Zac Gallen was throwing a no-hitter heading into the seventh inning. Corey Seager, a left-handed hitter and eventual bid MVP, led off. Lovullo put connected the shift, which was still ineligible astatine the time. He moved 3rd baseman Evan Longoria disconnected the statement to short. Seager grounded a guidelines deed correct wherever Longoria would’ve been playing ending the no-hitter and yet costing the D-backs the crippled and World Series.

It broiled maine because it wasn’t adjacent to Zac. These are the benignant of things group remember. Ask Cash. Game 6 of the 2020 World Series: Blake Snell pitching pinch 1 retired successful the sixth and the Rays starring the Dodgers, 1-0. Austin Barnes smacked a guidelines hit. Cash took retired Snell, who had allowed conscionable 2 hits. Nick Anderson gave up 2 runs. The Dodgers won the crippled and the World Series. Cash ne'er heard the extremity of it. Still hasn’t.

“I deliberation astir it each day,” Cash told maine past year.

But here’s the thing: Moves travel and go, correct aliases wrong. Cash is the Rays’ everlastingly head and present he is six years later guiding an over-achieving Rays squad to a imaginable AL East title aft a brace of non-playoff seasons. He’s location because he’s an organizational feline who excels astatine doing the champion pinch the changing array of players shot operations gives him.

That sounds very familiar.