The Arizona Diamondbacks are one of the hottest teams in baseball, going 15-5 so far in August, 24-8 since the All-Star break and winning their fourth straight with Friday’s 12-2 victory over the Boston Red Sox.
Talent, analytics, strategy and experience gained from last year’s World Series are obvious reasons for the D-Backs’ success. But another factor might be how manager Torey Lovullo keeps a tight rein on his players.
The latest example of the eighth-grade captain was on display before Friday’s game when Lovullo took batting practice to establish the team’s draft order in fantasy football. Each ball during Lovullo’s turn in the cage was numbered, and the distance he hit each ball determined a player’s draft position. as reported by NESN’s Tom Caron.
D’backs manager Torey Lovullo took BP to Fenway to establish his team’s draft order in fantasy football. Each ball was numbered and the distance it hit at each position determined it. He hit the wall on Merrill Kelley’s ball (he’s first) and jumped on Joc Pederson’s ball (he’s last). pic.twitter.com/aohDpCSmAE
-Tom Caron (@TomCaron) August 24, 2024
Lovullo hit the Fenway Park wall with pitcher Merrill Kelly’s ball, earning him the first overall pick in the D-Backs’ fantasy football draft. He can now boast about more than just his 3.63 ERA and 27 strikeouts in 34 2/3 innings.
The manager blew Joc Pederson’s ball, so he’ll unfortunately go last. The veteran slugger will have to console himself with his 20 home runs, 58 RBIs, a .292 batting average and a .959 OPS.
A major league manager taking hitting lessons would be a fun enough spectacle most of the time. But the challenge of determining the draft order of his players in fantasy football added a little extra spice to the spectacle.
Lovullo hit .224 in his eight MLB seasons, so putting those draft picks in his hands — or on his bat — might have been a bit of a gamble. Or it just showed that the whole exercise was fun for a team that’s having a lot of fun on the field right now.