Arizona Diamondbacks to Hire Torey Lovullo as Manager
The Arizona Diamondbacks will again raid the Red Sox in filling their open positions, as Torey Lovullo is reportedly set to become the team’s new manager.
The Arizona Diamondbacks‘ leadership makeover continues, as the team will reportedly hire Boston Red Sox bench coach Torey Lovullo as its new manager, according to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports Radio 98.7 FM:
Diamondbacks to name Torey Lovullo new manager.
— John Gambadoro (@Gambo987) November 4, 2016
The decision is not much of a surprise, as Lovullo has apparently been high on the D-Backs’ list of candidates since the beginning of their search. They added fuel to the speculative fires by bringing in former Red Sox GM Mike Hazen as their new general manager a few weeks ago. He and Lovullo will reunite in the desert in hopes of turning around the flagging franchise.
Lovullo became a popular name in connection to managerial openings going back to last season, when he took over for Red Sox skipper John Farrell as he underwent cancer treatment. He led the squad to a 28-20 record over its final 48 games, a noticeable improvement over their 50-64 mark when he took the reins.
After somewhat of a slow start in Boston, there was even some talk that the club could dismiss Farrell in favor of Lovullo, but after 93 wins and a first-place finish in 2016, it’s clear Farrell is not going anywhere. Lovullo had been with the Red Sox as bench coach since 2013. He spent the previous two season as first base coach with the Toronto Blue Jays, where he also served under Farrell as manager.
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The 51-year-old Lovullo spent parts of eight seasons as a major league infielder, and he will have his work cut out for him in his first full-time big league manager’s role. The D-Backs entered the year with high expectations after an ambitious offseason, but they flailed to a 69-93 record that doomed both former GM Dave Stewart and former manager Chip Hale.
Aside from his interim stint in 2015, Lovullo also has nine years’ experience managing in the Indians and Red Sox minor league systems from 2002 to 2010. He earned Manager of the Year honors in the Carolina League for his work with the Kinston Indians in 2004, and again the following year with the Akron Aeros in the Eastern League.
The D-Backs were reportedly considering Phil Nevin as the other finalist for their manager position. The 12-year major league veteran has managed the Reno Aces, Arizona’s Triple-A team, since 2014.
Next: D-Backs Offseason To-Do List
With Hazen and Lovullo now in place, the Diamondbacks will have their share of questions to answer this offseason as they attempt to get themselves back on track.