Torey Lovullo's Ship Comes In; Named New D'Backs Manager

The Arizona Diamondbacks have reportedly named Torey Lovullo their new manager. He will succeed Chip Hale who was fired after two seasons.


His ship has finally come in after a very long journey.


I remember when Lovullo was a blue chip prospect with the Detroit Tigers in the late 1980's. Unfortunately, he couldn't hit a major league curveball. He bounced around with the New York Yankees, California Angels, Seattle Mariners, Oakland A's, Cleveland Indians and the Philadelphia Phillies mostly in their minor league affiliates. Indeed, I remember going to an Ottawa Lynx game in 1999 and seeing Lovullo play with the Phillies' Triple AAA affiliate in Scranton-Wilkes Barre.


After ending his playing career in Japan, Lovullo most of the 2000's as a minor league manager in both the Cleveland Indians and Boston Red Sox organizations. When John Farrell was hired by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2011, he tabbed Lovullo as his first base coach. When Farrell was traded to the Red Sox in 2013, Lovullo followed him serving as his bench coach and would earn a World Series ring.


When Farrell was diagnosed with lymphoma late in the 2015 season, Lovullo was named acting manager and the Red Sox (who had been 52=62 under Farrell) went 28-20 over the final seven weeks of the regular season just missing the .500 mark. Many in Red Sox Nation wanted Lovullo to take over permanently and this sentiment did not change even with Farrell taking the Sox to an AL East crown.


It was only a matter of time before Lovullo would have a managerial job of his own. He came close to getting the nod with both the Texas Rangers and the Minnesota Twins but he finished runner up to Jeff Banister and Paul Molitor respectively.


While some expected former major leaguer Phil Nevin (who has managed the D'Backs Triple AAA affiliate in Reno for the past three seasons) to get the nod, Lovullo's odds increased considerably when Mike Hazen became GM for the D'Backs. Hazen had been the Red Sox GM since late in the 2015 season shortly after Dave Dombrowski was named the club's president.


The D'Backs were expected to win last year with the signing of Zack Greinke and acquisition of Shelby Miller. But neither lived up to expectations nor for that matter did the usually reliable Paul Goldschmidt. But worst of all AJ Pollock was nearly out all of last year. This resulted in the firing of GM Dave Stewart. And who knows how long Tony LaRussa is going to stick around?


But the 51-year old Lovullo is widely admired and liked and believe he can turn the D'Backs into contenders in quick order.