Washington Nationals: Kevin Long an intriguing managerial candidate

The Washington Nationals will reportedly interview Mets hitting coach Kevin Long for their managerial vacancy. Here’s what you need to know about him.

Since the Washington Nationals surprisingly dismissed Dusty Baker last week, many names have been mentioned as possible replacements. The latest candidate to reportedly receive an interview is current New York Mets hitting coach Kevin Long.

Long had a brief professional playing career in the Kansas City Royals organization, but never advanced past AAA. After hanging up his spikes, he went on to become a coach.

While serving as a minor league coach, Long filled many roles, including manager. He was even named the Northwest League’s co-Manager of the Year in 1999, just his third season as a manager.

After several seasons as a minor league coach, Long was named the New York Yankees hitting coach in 2007. He spent eight seasons in this role and enjoyed lots of success, including winning the World Series in 2009.

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In 2015, Long left the Yankees but remained in New York, becoming the Mets hitting coach. Long’s first season with the Mets was a memorable one, which included a trip to the World Series. The 2015 Mets also featured a much improved offense under Long’s tutelage, scoring 54 more runs than the previous season.

One of the most memorable parts of the 2015 season was Daniel Murphy‘s breakout postseason. Murphy was still a member of the Mets at the time, so he benefitted from Long.

Murphy set a couple career-highs in 2015, including mashing 14 homers and racking up a .449 slugging percentage. Although his regular season was impressive, he really broke onto the scene in the postseason.

Between the NLDS and NLCS, Murphy hit .421 with seven homers. He put on an unbelievable display of power and led the Mets to their first World Series appearance since 2015.

When asked what led to the sudden offensive outbreak, Murphy never failed to credit Long. The two had worked closely together all season and made a few adjustments, mainly bringing Murphy closer to home plate. Because of all the adjustments that Long and Murphy made, Murphy immediately became one of the best hitters in the league.

If the Nationals executives listen to player input on who to hire as the team’s next manager, Murphy will undoubtedly give a glowing recommendation of Long. Murphy is one of the Nats’ veteran leaders, so his opinion should at least play a small role in the hiring process.

While there are several candidates for the managerial vacancy, Long may be one of the best. When the Nats suffered through another early postseason exit this season, it was largely due to a lack of offense. With Long’s extensive background as a hitting coach, he could address this and ensure that it does not happen again.

Long’s managerial experience could also be beneficial, and gives him a leg up on many of his competitors, as most of the other candidates do not have managerial experience.

Finally, after going through seven managers in the first 13 seasons since returning to DC, the Nats will likely be looking for someone who can fill the job for a long time. At 50, Long is still relatively young and is capable of holding the job for as long as the two parties want him to be there.

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There will be several candidates for the Nats’ managerial vacancy, and Kevin Long recently joined Dave Martinez as the first two to reportedly receive interviews. While Long may not be the front-runner for the job, he would definitely be a solid hire.