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There is evidence that Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo knows what he’s doing when it comes to the atmosphere in his clubhouse.
Lovullo led the DBacks back to the World Series last season for the first time since 2001 and has put them in a position to reach the playoffs again this season.
But he took a risk on Friday when he stepped into the cage at Fenway Park and took batting practice to Fantasy Football Order draft.
D’backs manager Torey Lovullo took BP to Fenway to determine his team’s order in the fantasy football draft. Each ball was numbered and the distance he traveled on each ball determined the position. He hit the wall on Merrill Kelley’s baseball (he goes first) and popped up on Joc Pederson’s (he’s last) pic.twitter.com/aohDpCSmAE
— Tom Caron (@TomCaron) 24 August 2024
Yes, you read that right.
Lovullo took batting practice before the Diamondbacks’ game against the Red Sox. Each ball he hit had a number corresponding to a player in the team’s fantasy football league. The ball Lovullo hit the farthest would represent the player who received the No. 1 pick in the draft. Each subsequent pick was decided by how far Lovullo hit each ball.
Starting pitcher Merill Kelly went first, while Joc Pederson will go last.
This is a risky proposition. Sure, your team is behind you now. But what happens if you make a mistake at BP and your best player gets drafted 10th and is stuck with CeeDee Lamb if he stays with the Cowboys?
That didn’t seem to affect the Diamondbacks on Friday night, as they went out and beat the Red Sox 12-2. But in a game where the DBacks had 16 hits, Pederson was 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. He was the only player in the starting lineup who didn’t record a hit.
THAT GIVES SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT!
Pederson’s .288 batting average is second-best on the team among starters, so it’s not like he’s been in a slump all year or anything.
Was he acting in Lovullo? No, of course not. That would be ridiculous and we would never suggest such a thing.
BUT MAYBE…
