Torey Lovullo — Arizona Diamondbacks
It seems like an eternity ago that Arizona manager Torey Lovullo was named National League Manager of the Year. Lovullo led the team to a 93-69 record in his first year as manager, culminating in their most recent postseason berth. Lovullo followed that up with back-to-back winning seasons, but he appears to have lost his way since then. Because the Diamondbacks aren’t constructed to compete with the other NL West powers, fans would like to see the team’s younger players given more playing time. However, Lovullo has remained loyal to Arizona’s veterans, stifling the growth of younger players on the team.
Torey Lovullo — Arizona Diamondbacks
Mike Matheny — Kansas City Royals
Mike Matheny was fired by the Cardinals in the midst of a 47-46 season after six consecutive winning seasons. Despite joining the Cardinals a year after Albert Pujols left for the Angels, Matheny was a huge success in St. Louis. Matheny led the Cardinals to the NL Pennant in his second season as manager, despite low expectations. Matheny guided St. Louis to three division titles and four postseason appearances in all. Matheny took a year off after his Cardinals career was cut short before rejoining the Kansas City Royals. Taking over for an inexperienced team, Matheny guided the Royals to a respectable 26-34 record in 20. He followed that up with a 74-win season in ’21, exceeding most Royals offseason forecasts. Matheny is particularly skilled at nurturing young players. He may have the Royals in the playoffs as early as this year.
Mike Matheny — Kansas City Royals