Here’s how hot each MLB manager’s seat will get in 2018

ST. LOUIS, MO - JUNE 23: Manager Mike Matheny
ST. LOUIS, MO - JUNE 23: Manager Mike Matheny /
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SCOTTSDALE, AZ – MARCH 22: Manager Torey Lovullo #17 of the Arizona Diamondbacks chats with actors Erik Stolhanske, Steve Lemme, Jay Chandrasekhar, and Kevin Heffernan from the movie Super Troopers 2 at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on March 22, 2018 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by Sarah Sachs/Arizona Diamondbacks/Getty Images)
SCOTTSDALE, AZ – MARCH 22: Manager Torey Lovullo #17 of the Arizona Diamondbacks chats with actors Erik Stolhanske, Steve Lemme, Jay Chandrasekhar, and Kevin Heffernan from the movie Super Troopers 2 at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on March 22, 2018 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by Sarah Sachs/Arizona Diamondbacks/Getty Images) /

Torey Lovullo, Arizona Diamondbacks

Last season, the Arizona Diamondbacks finally got their act together, and went to become a playoff team in their new manager’s first season. General manager Mike Hazen brought in Torey Lovullo to be the main man in Arizona prior to the 2017 campaign, and it appears to have been a stroke of genius.

Not only did Lovullo get this team headed in the right direction, but he has them in place to  be a playoff contender for years to come. He is trusted by his players, and they showed him what they can do last season, as the team won 93 games, which was a 24-game improvement from the year before.

Lovullo knew Hazen well, so it was no big shock when he was named manager after his stint in Boston. An incredible baseball mind, Lovullo earned some hardware of his own last season, as he was named National League Manager of the Year.

The Diamondbacks come into the 2018 season with a solid roster in place, and two big aces at the top of their rotation in Robbie Ray and Zack Greinke. They also have a heavy-hitter at first base in Paul Goldschmidt, who is likely in for another monster season in 2018.

The NL West is a tough division, and pitching usually is the way to win it. There may be no better rotation in the division than the one that resides in Arizona, and Lovullo’s seat is one of the coldest in the National League heading into the new campaign.

Seat: Cold