Diamondbacks’ Lovullo NL Manager of the Year
1st-year D-Backs skipper Lovullo captures NL Manager of the Year
Torey Lovullo became the third consecutive Diamondbacks manager to lead his team to the postseason then be rewarded with the National League Manager of the Year award, winning rather easily in voting results announced Tuesday afternoon. Lovullo, whose Diamondbacks won 93 games and advanced to the NL division series in his first year on the job, received 18 of 30 first-place votes from the Baseball Writers Association of America.
“It’s an organizational thing is how I’m viewing it,” Lovullo said during a press conference at Chase Field on Tuesday evening. “Without ownership as strong as it is, without the front office and the relationship I have with them, without the coaches and the players, I’m not sitting here. A lot goes on behind the scenes that nobody knows about. The final piece of that whole puzzle is the players go out and perform at the level they do, and that’s why I’m sitting here today.”
The Diamondbacks weren’t expected to win in 2007 or 2011, but both teams won the NL West, and managers Bob Melvin and Kirk Gibson, respectively, each came away with hardware. Manager of the Year winners often come from surprise contenders, and this year was no different.
Last year, the Diamondbacks won 69 games in a disappointing season, an outcome that led to changes atop the organization. New General Manager Mike Hazen hired Lovullo, whom he’d known for more than a decade and worked with in Cleveland and Boston, hoping his new manager could help instill a winning culture.
It seemed to take hold quickly. The Diamondbacks did not fall below .500 at any point during the season. They reached 50 wins on June 28, the best start in franchise history; they won 13 consecutive games from Aug. 24 to Sept. 6, the team’s longest win streak ever; and they clinched a wild-card berth on Sept. 24, defeating the Marlins in a walk-off.
Lovullo quickly won over the clubhouse, ingratiating himself with players for his ability to communicate and his willingness to put trust in them. His pitchers performed well, logging the secondbest ERA in the NL, and his offense was explosive, particularly at Chase Field, where the Diamondbacks won 52 games, the secondmost in franchise history.
The win for Lovullo came at the end of a year that began with disappointment. His father, Sam, died in January at age 88, living to see his son get hired but not long enough to watch him on the job.
“It’s a sad thing that he’s not here right now to see this or watch this type of year unfold,” Lovullo said. “There are times where I miss calling him or maybe getting a chance to say I love you. Those moments hurt. But I know that he knows that. I know that he’s watching me right now and he’s very proud of me. I take great comfort in knowing that.”
In voting results, Lovullo was named in the top three on 29 of 30 ballots and collected 111 points. That was well ahead of Roberts, who finished second with 55 points. Rockies manager Bud Black (43 points) was third, followed by the Brewers’ Craig Counsell (33 points), the Nationals’ Dusty Baker (25 points) and the Cubs’ Joe Maddon (three points).
“The end result is we had a good campaign,” Lovullo said. “We had a magical year. We know what it takes to get to the next level. We watched the Dodgers advance and almost win the World Series, and we got a chance to compete against them. We know what the standards are. We know what the level of excellence is, and we want to get there as fast as possible.”