The Phillies are set to hire Kevin Long as their new hitting coach, Britt Ghiroli and Matt Gelb of The Athletic report (via Twitter). Long, who has been the Nationals’ hitting coach for the past four seasons, will be reunited with manager Joe Girardi and bench coach Rob Thomson in Philadelphia. The trio worked together in New York, where Long served as the hitting coach for much of Girardi’s managerial tenure. Long was on a one-year contract with the Nats for the 2021 season, and while he was reportedly open to a return to D.C., he also had the freedom to gauge interest elsewhere.
With the Phillies, Long will replace the recently dismissed Joe Dillon — his former assistant hitting coach with the Nats. The Phils hired Dillon as their hitting coach prior to the 2020 season, but his tenure proved relatively short, as the Phils made some changes to Girardi’s staff after another disappointing playoff miss. Phillies hitters ranked sixth in the Majors in walk rate from 2020-21 and are tied for the seventh-lowest team strikeout rate at 22.6 percent in that same span. They ranked 10th in runs scored (1040), 13th in home runs (280) and posted an overall .244/.324/.417 batting line (97 wRC+) during Dillon’s two years as hitting coach.
Moving from Washington to Philadelphia, Long will also reunite with one of his highest-profile pupils, Bryce Harper, whom he coached with the Nationals during Harper’s final season prior to free agency. (His time with the Yankees did not overlap with embattled Phillies shortstop Didi Gregorius.) Girardi and Long had a heated exchange earlier this season after Girardi called for then-Nationals ace Max Scherzer to be checked for foreign substances on the mound mid-inning, though doesn’t seem to have formed a lasting rift between the longtime colleagues, based on today’s news.
Long, 54, has a pair of World Series rings: one for his 2009 work with the Yankees and a second for with the 2019 Nationals. He served as Yankees hitting coach from 2007-14 before joining the Mets in the same capacity from 2015-17 and the Nationals from 2018-21.
The Phils also parted ways with infield coach Juan Castro and gave assistant hitting coach Pedro Guerrero the freedom to explore other opportunities, so Long’s hiring will be the first of at least a couple of coaching changes in the weeks to come.
Interesting. Long has been a good hitting coach.
Wouldn’t it make sense for teams to have a right handed hitting coach and left handed hitting coach? They could get even more in depth as well. Certain guys even in today’s game you want hitting line drives or putting the ball on the ground if they’re speedsters. Having one hitting coach having the same philosophy of everyone trying to swing for the fences seems like a good way to lose.
When Hawk was GM of the White Sox he hired two hitting coaches except one was for the power guys and the other was for the singles hitters.
Willie Horton coached the power guys.
Honest question, would you need to be a lefty batter to coach lefty hitters? Are the mechanics different between left and right handed?
Hitting concepts do not change from left to right
That’s a great idea!
And they should hire multiple coaches for infielders and outfielders – one to work on catching a ball hit in the air, one to work on catching a ground ball, and one to work on throwing the ball.
Then they need to hire a pitching coach for LH throwers, another for RH throwers, and assorted coaches to teach the individual pitches – broken down by LH or RH throwers.
Then there needs to be at least 10 coaches to work with the Catchers…….
Are you a government bureaucrat?
WHAAAAAT? I just about spit my drink across the room?
“Well come on k-long let’s go!”
I realize they were coaching partners before they were a Jomboy breakdown because of the Jomboy break down that informed me they were coaching partners before they were fighting partners and that was sponsored by a Jomboy breakdown
Legend has it Girardi is still staring at him
C’mon K-Long! Let’s Go! You wanta go K-Long? -Girardi
Let’s Go Brandon!
This is awkward. Girardi and Long were cursing at each other across the dugouts this season. Remember the whole Scherzer/Girardi thing?
“Tastes great!”
“Less filling!”
I don’t find it so as these guys are professionals.
I’m not a big fan of the Move, but time will tell.
Good hire.
Might be the only guy that can fix Didi
The old adage is that a MLB coach knows his value by his next MLB job. Sounds like Long has quite a bit of value.
[Mike Scioscia, Mickey Hatcher, and Brad Ausmus disagree with this message].
LOL. 4th place baby!
I imagine that it feels very similar to third place where your boys reside, but maybe after next season you can compare the two and let us know how similar they are.
we finished above them again this year, yet they still talk smack.
DarkSide’s keypoint here “again.” MetsFan cannot be serious at this point. The Mets had a losing record against the Phillies, and lower place in the standings. Phillies have problems for sure, but they’re better than the Mets.
The Phillies aren’t better than the Mets. One team was a lot healthier the other team most of the year. Please use common sense
I’ll clear all of this up. The Phillies and Mets both suck…but the Mets suck more.
48-team-MLB summed it up nicely.
I’m so sick of your asinine comments and pathetic excuses. Stop embarrassing every rational Mets fan.
Mets22: BUT, the Phillies have Harper, the Mets have LolLindor.
You and common sense don’t belong in the same sentence
Isn’t this a little early for your Mets prediction?
No. Mets do and will always suck. They will start hot Etc etc and it’s the same story.
@MetsFan22 I realize you have the luxury of hiding behind your keyboard, but it doesn’t bother you in the least bit that you are essentially a laughingstock of this community? I think I speak for a lot of people when I say that, no, you are not “living rent free” in anybody’s head. You’re just a punchline, that’s all.
I picture some guy in his basement with his mom upstairs that you need to take out the garbage or diner is getting cold.
Yes we are all already laughing about the 2022 Mets fourth place finish.
That is where your Mutts will be J.O.
I tried to draw a flow chart showing all of the apparent connections between Long and Girardi. I ran out of paper.
Unless he brings along better hitters, really doesn’t mean much. As long as Girardi remains, never going to succeed as a team. Oh well, always 2023.
Mets really couldn’t rehire him? He was our best hitting coach in a decade. Sandy Alderson really needs to go now
Who’s left in management to hire him? First, the Mets need to hire a POBO, who will then hire a GM, who will then assemble most of management to hire a manager and coaches (do managers even get a say in their coaches anymore?). Right now, calling the Mets brass goes to voice mail.
Cohen’s friend Michael Avanati has the job when he finishes his “governmental responsibilities” (jail term). Jeff Epstein was going to take the job but he got hung up.
What is with this organization and their hiring of friends and former associates..
I’d say they’re guilty of cronyism and also aren’t confident in their ability to find the best people to fill job openings.
Hopefully he can keep Hoskins out of prolonged slumps. Highly doubtful but I’m hoping
so Dillon wasnt good enough so we just hired another Nats HC? um, okay then…
I was hoping the Mets would make him their manager after Collins. Three bad hires later…
It’s still a long shot that they contend.
Good pun and also true story.
Did Bryce Harper demand this?
so, your telling me the Phillies are Long-ing (see what I did there) for better hitting.
1/5 points deducted for pointing it out
Phillies can hire whoever they want as hitting coach. Fact: Rhys Hoskins stinks
so out of pocket and not close to correct but okay then.
What fact? Hoskins was very productive this year.
Two years in a row, the Phillies offense crumbled when Hoskins went down, and fans still hate on him. Compare his numbers to Pete Alonso. Similar players for sure. Hoskins gets on base more. Alonso is a better defender. The Phillies really need a bat behind Harper. Hoskins was it before he got hurt. Can’t expect him to stay healthy anymore. Need to fill that void.
Good move by the Phillies if Long can’t turn the inconsistant hitting around no on can.
Long was the hitting coach for Trea Turner and Juan Soto this year. They both had the highest batting average so Long will work his magic in Philly
Not for Rhys. Maybe Alec Bohm
I rarely hear players talk about their hitting/pitching coaches.
Is the value to the players so little that they see no reason to recognize them?
Yes, but they are good fall guys to fire after a disappointing season is over.
Huh?
Wow. K-Long really does wanna go.
K-Long has a knack of signing with teams that will either go to or/win a championship. It definitely looks good for Philly.
That’s a big name
It’s moreso a long name.
Waiting for Girardi to hire Rothschild too
That would be a great move we need more old school guys these analytic guys are geeks that know nothing about baseball
Just hope Long doesn’t come with a one-size-fits-all mantra. I’m about fed up with every hitter, even guys who don’t hit homers, upper cutting everything. I believe that approach ruined Scott Kingery.
Kingery was a good hitter everywhere he played until just recently. How many times have we watched him strike out swinging on pitches at the letters or higher?
Just put the bat on the ball. Tough to win striking out 10 or more times each night. Plus it makes for boring baseball.
They should’ve hired me as the hitting coach