Torey Lovullo
The Arizona Diamondbacks appeared to enter the 2021 season in MLB’s No Man’s Land. They clearly were not good enough to contend in the NL West, but they also did not appear to be one of the worst teams in MLB. It seemed as though they would hover around .500, a team without much of a direction.
Instead, the Diamondbacks have been the worst team in baseball. They are 20-52, 26 games out of first already. They are also ten games behind the Rockies, a team that was expected to be the worst team in the majors. The Diamondbacks have already set the MLB record for the most consecutive losses on the road, and given how tough the NL West has been, that streak may not end soon.
Torey Lovullo has had some success with the Diamondbacks. The franchise finished over .500 in each of his first three seasons, reaching the playoffs in 2017. Given the pandemic shortened season in 2020, the team’s struggles that year could be overlooked. But that is not the case this season.
It would be one thing if the Diamondbacks were in fourth, a bit below .500 as they struggled in a division that could end up with three playoff teams. But the fact that they are the worst team in the game, are that far behind the dysfunctional Rockies, and have been historically dismal on the road is not going Lovullo any favors.
Torey Lovullo has to be the favorite to be the first manager fired this season. His hot seat is only going to get hotter as the losses pile up.