Torey Lovullo says Diamondbacks bringing back coaching staff for 2026

The Arizona Diamondbacks will retain their coaching staff for next season under Torey Lovullo, the manager told Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo on Thursday.

The Diamondbacks made several changes to the staff last offseason, replacing former pitching coach Brent Strom with Brian Kaplan, third base coach Tony Perezchica with Shaun Larkin and bullpen coach Mike Fetters with Wellington Cepeda.

Arizona removed Larkin from his duties at third base coach in August but kept him onboard as the infield coach. Tim Bogar joined the staff as the new third base coach.

Continuity was a reason Lovullo gave for keeping the band together, although he left the door open for potential role tweaks.

The Diamondbacks are running the same coaching staff back, though there could be some tweaks to roles, manager Torey Lovullo told @BurnsAndGambo.

"I'm not sure what the moving parts will mean down the road," he said on the Torey Lovullo Show presented by Estrella Jalisco. pic.twitter.com/YWEtsJE92W

— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) October 2, 2025

“We’re gonna bring back the same coaches,” Lovullo said. “Where they land and what their roles are will be fairly similar. … We did bring in four new coaches this past year, and that’s not a reason for growing pains or making mistakes early, but there was some newness.

“I feel like if we bring back the same staff, we’re gonna hit on all cylinders the minute we walk into spring training next year, and that’s even starting earlier. They’re gonna be able to have these relationships with players that they’ve already established over the past year.”

Making sure players are sharper in spring training is an idea Lovullo has harped on since the end of the season due to a slow start to the regular season.

This could not have been the easiest season for a first-year pitching coach given the number of pitching injuries the club endured.

The Diamondbacks’ pitching staff struggled mightily in the first half with an ERA of 4.65 and FIP of 4.37. In the second half, those numbers improved to 4.26 and 4.13, respectively, although they were still middle of the pack.

Zac Gallen and Eduardo Rodriguez were much better after the deadline, while Ryne Nelson was terrific as a regular starter after shifting roles in the first couple months. Brandon Pfaadt had his ups and downs, while the bullpen was a revolving door due to injuries.

“I think the first couple months, he was just trying to get to know everybody, what makes everybody tick, similar to a manager,” Gallen said on Monday.

“Like you have to understand how to manage personalities and what it is that motivates a certain guy. … I think Kap did a really good job of trying to hit the ground running and be a fast learner, but it just takes time. I think you saw the improvement of our pitching staff over the second half of the season because Kap started to get more comfortable and understood how to approach certain guys and what it was he could do to help guys better themselves. So I’m excited for him.”

General manager Mike Hazen credited the coaching staff at his end-of-season press conference for aiding in the team’s turnaround with a younger group of players after the trade deadline.

The offense continued to produce under hitting coach Joe Mather despite losing talent, while first base coach Dave McKay is considered the best in the business by many players who have come through.

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