Why Diamondbacks' Hilarious Tradition is Perfect Culture-Builder

The Arizona Diamondbacks' skipper participated in one of the team's most amusing traditions.

Aug 20, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo (17) sits in the dugout after defeating the Cleveland Guardians at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images | Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

Everyone loves fantasy football — even Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo.

On Friday, Lovullo participated in one of the D-backs' most amusing traditions: determining his players' fantasy football draft order.

Arizona has done this for some time now. Fantasy teams managed by player duos are each assigned a number. That number goes on a baseball.

Lovullo then takes batting practice at Chase Field, swinging for the fences at each of said numbered balls — without knowing whose ball is whose. The players' draft order is then numbered by the distance Lovullo takes each ball.

"Corbin [Carroll] came to me and said, thanks, I'm drafting 12th," Lovullo said. "But I got [Ryan] Thompson and Pavin [Smith] the first pick."

Lovullo is traditionally a manager that operates by building relationships with his players. But he's still the boss, ultimately.

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Lovullo said the fantasy festivities are a good way for him to connect with his players in a different, non-traditional manner.

"Look, on that, it's fun to get out there and spend some time with those guys in a little bit different light. They see me a little bit differently.

"I'm traditionally not their friend, I'm their manager, but when I get a chance to get on the other side of it and participate and do something like that with them so they can see a different side of me, it's a lot of fun," Lovullo said.

"It's part of our culture. We let our guard down, we're vulnerable, all that stuff, but to go out there and have a little bit of fun with the group was probably more fun than I let them realize and more fun for me than it actually was for them," Lovullo said.

Arizona's skipper certainly held his own. Though he wasn't able to send a pitch into the cavernous Chase Field stands, he estimated he was able to take one somewhere around 354 feet.

"I feel like I held my own, right? I'm 60 years old and I was almost hitting bombs out of the stadium," joked Lovullo. "I feel like I was better. Everybody said that it was a better year for me this year. But it was a lot of fun. It was good."

"I'm glad I was able to do it and not actually embarrass myself. That's the main thing."

Lovullo's effort was not lost on the players.

"It's amazing," Diamondbacks' third baseman Blaze Alexander said.

"Honestly... I knew he was an athlete, but he swung it a lot better than I thought he would. It's freaking awesome. It's a team fantasy draft, you've got to have your head coach pick the order for your team. It was awesome."

Alexander said he and catcher/DH Adrian Del Castillo are sharing a squad. They were awarded the fifth overall pick by Lovullo's bat.

"He hit it, it was 316, I believe, 316 feet. It was right center. He was dead pull today," Alexander said.

Blaze Alexander talks about the D-backs Fantasy Football draft and Torey Lovullo swinging the bat to determine picks pic.twitter.com/uEXGJxXXMd

— Diamondbacks On SI (@DbacksOnSI) August 23, 2025

As Lovullo once famously said: a connected team is a dangerous team. The Diamondbacks have not looked nearly as dangerous (or as connected) as was expected in 2025, but traditions like Friday's remain a crucial part of the team culture Lovullo has worked hard to cultivate.