Friedman: Bringing Torey Lovullo back for 2023 was right choice for Diamondbacks

Throughout his minor-league ascent, Josh Rojas was always a sponge for his managers. If there was a competitive advantage to be had, he was talking with his skipper about it. He wasn’t sure he would be able to do that when he reached the big leagues, however, until he met Torey Lovullo.

“You hear all the talks about managers kind of being not really close to the team and kind of that godly figure more [than] like one of your teammates,” Rojas said. “That’s what I was most scared of.”

Today, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more vocal Lovullo supporter than Rojas, who was delighted to find out — via his Instagram feed — that the Diamondbacks had exercised Lovullo’s 2023 club option. Lovullo, who is already the longest-tenured manager in franchise history, will return for his seventh season.

In Rojas’ eyes, the Diamondbacks’ skipper has perfected the ever-delicate balance between encouragement and criticism.

“If [someone] is always critiquing you and they come to you and say, ‘Hey, that play needs to be made,’ you kind of just blow them off. ‘Yeah, you’ve always got something.'” Rojas said.

“But when you got a guy like Torey who is very encouraging…and doesn’t put you down when you make mistakes, and there are the times when he does say, like, ‘Hey, that needs to be made’ or ‘Hey, you need to work on that,’ it means more. It really sticks with you and it makes you want to be a better player for him.”

Rojas recalls a particular incident from a game in Philadelphia in June, when he booted a potential double-play ball in a first-and-second, one-out situation.

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“I was only thinking the worst,” Rojas said. “It feels like you let your entire team down when you do something like that.”

When Lovullo emerged from the dugout to make a pitching change, he made sure he spoke to Rojas, too.

“Stay in this game,” Lovullo said. “We’re going to win this game.”

Newcomer Noé Ramirez struck out the next two batters, and the Diamondbacks went on to win, 13-1. They didn’t allow a run for the rest of the game.

“He’s right there with you, and he understands the game and the ups and downs,” Rojas said. “It’s really good to have somebody like that has your back.”

Rojas also recalls a story of a recent game in Denver, when he and shortstop Geraldo Perdomo failed to convert an out at second base but they won shortly thereafter. When Rojas and Perdomo walked off the field, Lovullo had words for them, too.

“That play’s got to be made,” Lovullo told them. “We’ve got to get an out there.”

If Rojas is the honorary president of the Lovullo fan club, its membership is vast, extending far beyond the reaches of the Diamondbacks’ clubhouse to fans, security guards, reporters and others. He is genuine, caring and a delight to be around. I do not expect to ever come across someone who says otherwise, and if I do, my first instinct will be that they are the problem.

Granted, the task of being a big-league manager stretches far beyond likability and personal relationships, but let’s not forget that MLB managers are managers of people first and foremost. Lovullo’s ability to care, connect, encourage, motivate and push forward puts him in elite company. By all accounts, he is great at the most important aspect of his job.

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When reflecting on the early years of his tenure as Diamondbacks manager, Lovullo said he had it made.

“It’s easy to be given the keys to a Ferrari,” Lovullo said. “Just get in that car and let it ride.”

Yes, the Diamondbacks were coming off a 93-loss season the season before Lovullo took over, but the team was flush with talented, well-established veterans. The roster was built to contend. Under Lovullo’s direction, it did, though not for as long as Lovullo or his team intended.

A lot has changed since then. Nick Ahmed — who has missed nearly the entire season with a shoulder injury — is the only remnant of Lovullo’s 2017 Opening Day squad. The team is replete with new faces, highlighted by the third-youngest position player group in the sport.

As the Diamondbacks usher in what could be the core of their next great team, general manager Mike Hazen stressed the value of continuity; those young players won’t have to guess who their manager is next year. With the roster getting increasingly younger, Lovullo has already changed his approach.

“I’m not the same person I was five and a half years ago, I know that,” he said. “Over the past three years, it’s been a totally different vibe for me where I’ve had to dig in a little bit and teach, and hit the coaches pretty hard on what my expectations were and align with them about what it’s going to take for them to go out and be the best teacher possible.

“I’ve gotten after the coaches a little bit more over the past couple of years and after the players a little bit more than I ever have.”

Despite his long-standing reputation as a player-centric manager, Lovullo is more stern now than ever. Part of that could be chalked up to a natural evolution in his style, and part of that might have been prompted by last year’s 52-win season — the kind of year that would drive even the glass-half-fullest of people up the wall. It was also the type of year that MLB managers don’t often survive. Lovullo is aware of that, too.

“It’s not easy after winning 52 games to come out and talk about your philosophies working or wanting them to work or expecting them to work,” Lovullo said. “But this group believed in me.”

Despite the ugly results, there is still no concrete evidence that any of it was Lovullo’s fault. The Diamondbacks played the vast majority of the 2020 season with an injury-riddled roster that lacked even a rudimentary amount of depth to weather the storm. Lovullo practically had no choice but to give 31 starts to a combination of Riley Smith, Matt Peacock, Seth Frankoff, Corbin Martin, Jon Duplantier and Humberto Meija — none of whom are currently on a major-league roster.

MLB Network Radio host and former Diamondbacks broadcaster Mike Ferrin explained it well in a guest appearance on the PHNX Diamondbacks Podcast last month.

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According to Rojas, when Lovullo was in a similar situation last year with an expiring contract, Rojas and his teammates wanted their manager back.

“We felt like we weren’t winning games and we didn’t want it to be Torey’s fault,” Rojas said.

Hazen is quick to put some of that blame on himself, too.

“The manager can only be as good as the general manager,” Hazen said. “Some of what we’ve experienced over the last short couple of years is a direct reflection on me, much less so him.”

Which begs the question: If last year’s gaffe wasn’t Lovullo’s fault, why not extend him beyond 2023 rather than just picking up his option for next year? Hazen said that while the team is playing a more consistent and competent brand of baseball in 2022, the organization needs to see more.

“We’re not really where we want to be,” Hazen said. “We’re not satisfied with whatever position we finish in, outside of the playoffs this year.”

Hazen’s response is reasonable. As much as the team’s 2022 turnaround has made it clear that Lovullo was never the problem, it is still unclear if he is the right guy to carry the Diamondbacks into the increasingly bright future ahead of them. Extending a manager in what is likely to be a third consecutive sub-.500 season would be an odd look. Bringing Lovullo back for 2023 while holding off on a long-term commitment is an appropriate balance.

Hazen insisted that Lovullo is not the only one under constant evaluation. They are both out of mulligans, he said.

“He and me — it’s not just him,” Hazen said. “I get there may be some different contractual situations at certain times. This is a situation where we need to continue to show progress.”

For Lovullo, next season will mark his third consecutive year as a lame-duck manager. In classic managerial speak, he said he is not concerned.

“I’m not going to worry about that,” Lovullo said. “I’m just thankful that I’ve got this year and next year. I’m going to take care of that the best way I can.

“We’ve got a lot of building to do. We’ve got a lot of work to put in. We’ve got a lot of development that needs to take place every single day with our young players. And more are coming.”

The next generation of Diamondbacks players are playing well already, as evidenced by the team’s 21-16 record since the All-Star break. The next great Diamondbacks team is taking shape, and in 2023, Lovullo is the one to lead it.

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Top photo: Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports