{"id":474093,"date":"2025-12-12T16:02:13","date_gmt":"2025-12-12T16:02:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/474093\/"},"modified":"2025-12-12T16:02:13","modified_gmt":"2025-12-12T16:02:13","slug":"torey-lovullo-challenging-diamondbacks-to-avoid-errors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/474093\/","title":{"rendered":"Torey Lovullo challenging Diamondbacks to avoid errors"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n

Eugenio Suarez committed the first Arizona Diamondbacks error of the 2025 season on Opening Day. Geraldo Perdomo, Shelby Miller and Jose Herrera got theirs out of the way on Day 2.<\/p>\n

Brandon Pfaadt and Justin Martinez committed errors on Day 3, and by the end of Arizona\u2019s first six games, Josh Naylor had one, too.<\/p>\n

Not to pick on individuals, the D-backs as a team ended up committing 84 errors in 2025. That was middle of the pack for Major League Baseball but the club\u2019s most since 2022. The D-backs averaged 59 between 2023 and 2024.<\/p>\n

After the season, manager Torey Lovullo was clear that something would change in spring training<\/a>, suggesting there will be more intense defensive work to get the team up to speed quickly.<\/p>\n

He told Arizona Sports\u2019 Bickley & Marotta on Thursday that he wants to challenge players to go errorless for as long as possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe made so many mistakes in April and May that it was hard to play catch up,\u201d Lovullo said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m gonna tell the guys individually, \u2018Can you get into June without making your first error?\u2019 There\u2019s a newness to the season and in football, you throw that first interception, in baseball, you make that first error and you\u2019re like, \u2018Oh, it\u2019s OK. It\u2019s April.\u2019 No, it\u2019s not gonna be OK. Let\u2019s go as far as we can without making mistakes. That bleeds into a lot of mental mistakes. We made too many in April and we gotta be better.\u201d<\/p>\n

Errors in part contributed to Arizona\u2019s lousy -4 defensive runs<\/a> saved tally, which ranked 23rd in MLB.<\/p>\n

Elite defense is not an automatic ticket to the playoffs, as evidenced by the Rangers leading MLB with 89 DRS last year and missing the postseason. But the Diamondbacks were not sharp along the edges, failing to win inches that could have made a difference in numerous games.<\/p>\n

That will be further emphasized, as the roster was more power-laden on Opening Day 2025 with sluggers Suarez, Naylor and a healthy Lourdes Gurriel Jr. than it is expected to be in 2026. Winning with speed, timely hitting and strong defense became the identity in the back half of the year, and that\u2019s the type of baseball to be expected as the team is constructed.<\/p>\n

Arizona\u2019s pitchers compiled -9 DRS, while first basemen finished with -11 DRS, the worst in Major League Baseball. D-backs third basemen committed more errors than any other position group in MLB other than Cincinnati shortstops. The corner infielders changed in the final two months after the trade deadline and remain questions going into next year.<\/p>\n

Defense and finding solutions to player health were the two areas Lovullo singled out when looking ahead to spring training.<\/p>\n

\u201cDefensively, we gotta walk out on Day 1 and be as ready as possible,\u201d Lovullo said.<\/p>\n

Follow @alexjweiner<\/a><\/p>\n

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