D-backs manager Torey Lovullo: ‘I want to stay here for the rest of my life’
Jun 3, 2023, 12:00 PM | Updated: 1:20 pm
Manager Torey Lovullo #17 of the Arizona Diamondbacks tosses a ball while watching batting practice prior to a game against the San Diego Padres at Chase Field on April 08, 2022 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images)
(Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images)
Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo has the team playing red-hot baseball, winners of six straight games and tied atop the division and National League.
Lovullo has been a leader in the clubhouse for a young team for a franchise that has not been exposed to a winning culture since 2017.
The skipper, despite three consecutive years under 75 wins, is on his third-straight one-year contract to guide the team. In his six-plus years at the helm, the manager has posted a 446-482 record for the D-backs.
Now that the team has had some success, Lovullo could be a hot name for bigger markets looking to make a splash with an experienced manager.
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“We have a love for this city and a love for this town unlike anyone else. I want to stay here for the rest of my life. I love Arizona, I love this community and I bleed Sedona red,” Lovullo told Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo.
“I do not want to go anywhere. I would sign a lifetime contract tomorrow if I could. Baseball just isn’t built that way. I’m going to honor my contract. … We have great ownership that has shown unbelievable support in me. We almost set a franchise record in losses and they still showed faith in me. We are one-third through the season, let’s get through this season, see where it takes us and just push this thing forward.”
Lovullo has not only helped change a culture, and been progressing young talent at a great rate.
Players like Corbin Carroll, Zac Gallen, Geraldo Perdomo, Christian Walker, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and many more have shown consistent growth under Lovullo.
The team currently ranks third in the majors in doubles, third in triples, sixth in RBIs, batting average and slugging and fourth in stolen bases.
Arizona ranks 21st in payroll in the 2023 season at just over $115 million, the lowest payroll in the NL West.
The D-backs are striving to make their first playoffs since Lovullo’s first season as manager in 2017 when the team won the Wild Card game but was swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers in three games.
