{"id":1576,"date":"2016-11-04T18:53:05","date_gmt":"2016-11-04T22:53:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonbaseball.com\/?p=1576"},"modified":"2016-11-04T18:53:05","modified_gmt":"2016-11-04T22:53:05","slug":"torey-lovullo-takes-arizona","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2016\/11\/04\/torey-lovullo-takes-arizona\/","title":{"rendered":"Torey Lovullo Takes Over in Arizona"},"content":{"rendered":"

Earlier in the offseason, the Arizona Diamondbacks<\/b> fired General Manager Dave Stewart<\/a><\/b>, and hired now-former Boston Red Sox<\/b> GM Mike Hazen<\/b> as his replacement. At that time, it seemed inevitable that Boston’s bench coach, Torey Lovullo<\/a><\/b>, would join him in Arizona, given the close nature of the relationship between the two. On Friday, the Diamondbacks made that eventuality a reality by hiring Lovullo as their new manager. He steps into the void left by former manager Chip Hale<\/a><\/b>, who was fired alongside Stewart.<\/p>\n

Torey Lovullo Takes Over in Arizona<\/b><\/h2>\n

Lovullo has been a top managerial candidate for several years now. Some thought he would take such a position back in 2014. Luckily for the Red Sox, he stayed on. In 2015, when manager John Farrell<\/a><\/b> had to take time off for his successful lymphoma treatment, Lovullo stepped in as interim manager. Though the Red Sox had a disappointing season overall that year, Lovullo led the team to a strong finish over the final seven weeks of the campaign.<\/p>\n

After that season, the Red Sox signed Lovullo to a new contract, making him one of the highest-paid bench coaches in the league and preventing him from seeking a managers job until after 2016. Filling his role will be a top priority and a difficult task for Boston.<\/p>\n

Lovullo and Hazen have known each other since Hazen started as an intern in the Cleveland Indians<\/b>. Lovullo is known for his clubhouse leadership and ability to connect with people. The Diamondbacks, after making some of the most highly publicized moves in the previous offseason, had a disastrous year. They needed someone with Lovullo’s personality to get the most out of their under-performing players and to unite the clubhouse. Lovullo, on paper, seems to be the right man for the job.<\/p>\n

As for the Red Sox, Farrell will likely look within the organization for his new bench coach. Hitting coach Chili Davis<\/a><\/b> and third base coach Brian Butterfield<\/b> are likely the top two candidates, with Butterfield being the favorite. Farrell and Butterfield coached together with the Toronto Blue Jays<\/b>, and have a strong relationship. Luckily for the Red Sox, Lovullo cannot take any of Boston’s other coaches with him to Arizona<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Main Photo:<\/p>\n

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Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n