The Diamondbacks have won nine straight series and 30 of their last 40 games. During that stretch, they’ve gone from four games under .500 to the talk of baseball. They’ve shrunk the Dodgers division lead down to 2.5 games, which has now become a three-team race of some of the best teams in baseball. With all that in consideration, it’s time to talk about the captain of the ship, Torey Lovullo, and why he should win the 2024 National League Manager of the Year Award.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Their 30-10 record in their last 40 marks on the second time in franchise history the team has won 75% of their games in any 40-game stretch, last done by the 1999 squad that won 100 games. The Diamondbacks are on pace for 93 wins, which would tie the most in any season with Lovullo at helm. Entering play on August 15, they have a 93.0% chance of making the postseason according to FanGraphs and 94.7% according to Baseball Reference.
Like every team, the Diamondbacks have had to weather their own injury storm. For much of the season, Arizona’s starting rotation has had to go without three of their projected five starters for much of the season. Eduardo RodrÃguez missed the first four months with a lat strain and Merrill Kelly missed all but the first three weeks of the season with a teres major injury. They’ve also missed their starting shortstop for a third of the season and their primary center fielder for half the season. While the team found capable players to fill the void, that should not be used against Lovullo.
At the same time, we’ve seen players take a drastic step forward. Those injuries gave opportunities to players such as Kevin Newman, Jake McCarthy, and Justin Martinez, who have all emerged as key pieces on this year’s squad. All three players have been instrumental in the team’s resurgence. None of them were considered part of the team’s plans in 2024. McCarthy was made available to the Chicago White Sox in the Cristian Mena trade, Newman was let go by the team after failing to make the Opening Day roster, and Martinez started the season in Reno.
Another impressive feather in Lovullo’s hat was his ability to keep the team focused and winning through a closer controversy. Paul Sewald struggled in the month of July, converting only five of his 10 save chances. He was removed from the role and Martinez has been slowly phased in. Despite those four blown save losses, they finished 17-8 for the month. Perhaps it was the lessons learned from last season, when the team survived a closer crisis that nearly ruined their season after a hot start.
They are also 23-12 in one-run games in 2024. Those are the type of games where a decision made by a manager is going to have the most impact. But it’s also a sign of a team that is well-prepared and confident they’ll execute in big situations. That’s where the real credit belongs for a manager and coaching staff. Once a team that couldn’t get the job done when they trailed by multiple runs, they have the confidence that no deficit is too large to overcome.
It’s still a tough battle, as there are also some deserving candidates. Mike Shildt has done a great job in his first season as the Padres manager, Rob Thomson leads the NL-leading Phillies, and Pat Murphy has kept the line moving in Milwaukee after they lost their manager and top baseball operations executive. In the event that the Diamondbacks win the National League West, or even land the top Wild Card spot, Lovullo would be a slam-dunk choice for Manager of the Year.
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Michael McDermott covers the Arizona Diamondbacks, Arizona Cardinals, and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @MichaelMcDMLB
