D-backs Torey Lovullo Talks Lineup Decisions, Keyboard Warriors

The Diamondbacks led MLB in runs scored in 2024. They'll need to be flexible and creative to approach that level again.

Mar 3, 2025; Salt River Pima-Maricopa, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks second base Ketel Marte (4) hits a single against the Chicago Cubs in the first inning at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images / Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo knows that lineup decisions he must make on a daily basis are often fodder for both media and fan "keyboard warriors" on social media platforms. His overriding emphasis however is always to try to put players in the best position to succeed and build up their confidence.

"This game's full of confidence, highs and lows, ups and downs. And sometimes I feel like when a player's struggling, I need to believe in them more than they believe in themselves and just really stick with them," Lovullo said.

It can be easy to want to run away from a slumping player, by either moving them down the lineup or benching them altogether. But the manager of human beings has to be careful not to cut bait too soon, lest he miss an opportunity to allow that player to rebound. Last year Eugenio Suarez was just such an example.

"That's why at times, and I know that the Twitter world can go crazy and the keyboard pounders can go crazy. I need to show confidence in the players so they can rebound, knowing what their full capability is. Geno Suarez is a perfect example of that, right?"

Indeed he was. Lovullo had to field repeated questions and second guessing through the first few months of the season. So much so that even this writer mistook a day off, a breather, for a benching in early June.

"I don't know when he turned it around," Lovullo said. "People were asking about why I'm playing him, what's happening. I just felt very strong with his work habits that he was going to come out of it, and we know what happened."

Suarez went off in the second half to be the team's best hitter over the final three months. But it doesn't always work out that way. Some times the player doesn't rebound.

"So yes, there's a very fine line there. It's probably one of the hardest things to do inside of my day-to-day conversations and inside of my job. I've got to figure out where that line is. And the line is blurry sometimes, it's a moving line. I've got to be smart not to do it at the wrong time."

The Diamondbacks are coming off a season in which they led all of MLB in runs scored. That will be a tough act to follow in 2025. Gone are Christian Walker, and his 26 homers and 84 RBI.

Gone too is Joc Pederson, who was second on the team with a .908 OPS and a 151 OPS+ to go along with 23 homers and 64 RBI. On top of that Ketel Marte is coming off a career high 36 homers and 95 RBI. He's a great hitter, but those will be difficult numbers to duplicate.

Walker and Pederson are being replaced by Josh Naylor and Pavin Smith for the most part. It's hard to say at this point how much of a dropoff in production there might be, if any at all.

The team could also pick up more production from other sources, including Corbin Carroll and Suarez having at least four or five good months instead of three. Gabriel Moreno has put on muscle and is hitting the ball hard this spring as well.

When it comes to how he'll construct the lineup however, Lovullo is talking about being more flexible than he might have been in the past. Christian Walker was a fixture in the cleanup spot, and Pederson hit third whenever a right-hand pitcher started.

Beyond the top two spots in the order to be occupied by Carroll and Marte, Lovullo indicated he might end up moving things around the middle of the order quite a bit more than he did last year. Going back to that fine line, it will be important how he communicates to the players when he needs to move a batter down or up the lineup.

"I don't like to surprise guys with anything that might seem like it's panicky or out of the norm. I'll just let them know this is what I'm thinking. And don't be surprised if this type of stuff happens," Lovullo said.

Listening to the manager, it does sound like he's likely to be willing to move a struggling player down or a hot hitter up more readily than he has in the past. "That's kind of what I'm talking about," Lovullo said. "So I want to work hard at that this year. And we'll see how it turns out."

One question that came up was whether he might consider moving Marte to the third spot in the order to lengthen the lineup a bit and make it easier to fill out the middle part of the lineup. But that doesn't seem to be in the cards.

"I think [Marte] is so dynamic, he can hit anywhere in the lineup. I've thought about hitting him third. I just don't think he likes hitting third, if I can remember correctly, through the course of some conversations, I think that he prefers second. And like I said, I want to put him in the best spot possible to be successful," Lovullo said.

While there are a few obvious basics when it comes to lineup construction, such as getting your best hitters the most at-bats, the overall impact may be limited. At the end of the day studies have shown that lineup construction does not provide many opportunities to maximize run scoring.

In fact, one study provides evidence that having the type of flexibility that Lovullo is talking about is probably the best way to go.

That said, confident, comfortable players knowing their role, and in close communication with their manager, hitting coaches, and each other are the most likely to maximize their talents. It's Lovullo's job to walk that fine line.