When you are looking at a Major League coaching staff, all eyes are on the manager. They are the ones who are setting the lineups, making pitching changes, and giving the post-game press conferences after every game. The pitching coach is typically looked at as the second most well-known, as in game mound visits and pitching changes are the most scrutinized moves in the game. Even most fan bases know the third base coaches pretty well, as every fan questions their decisions on the basepaths.
Often one of the most overlooked coaches on a coaching staff can be the hitting coach. They don’t get talked about for in-game decisions, and most of their work is likely done pregame. The Nats had one of the best in the business from 2018-2021 in Kevin Long, and now he is working that same magic for the division rival Phillies in their World Series run.
Long is one of the most tenured hitting coaches in all of MLB, having started his MLB coaching career in 2007 with the Yankees. He was able to take over a talented offense and not skip a beat, as their first year they were tops in the league for hits, runs, and slugging percentage. Success continued for them as they went on to win the 2009 World Series. He stayed with the Yankees through 2014, when he was ultimately fired.
Long was quickly picked up by the Mets to be their hitting coach from 2015-2017. While he was there, the Mets went on their World Series run led by NLCS MVP Daniel Murphy. Murphy went on an absolute tear in the playoffs, hitting a home run in six consecutive games, which is an all-time postseason record. Murphy credited much of his success to Long helping him with his approach. This not only lead to a great postseason, but Murphy found continued success as a Nat for two and a half years, finishing second in MVP voting in 2016.
In 2018 Long came over to the Nats, and after a disappointing 2018 season, their 2019 run can be largely credited to them being able to find production 1-9 in the lineup. Of course there was the star power of Juan Soto, Anthony Rendon and Trea Turner, but everyone was able to contribute in the lineup. Guys like Ryan Zimmerman and Howie Kendrick nearing the end of their careers were highly productive, and even mid season acquisitions like Asdrubal Cabrera were able to make immediate improvements with Long’s guidance.
Now in his first season with the Phillies, Long has made a big difference in year one, helping them on this improbable World Series run. The Phillies improved their offensive approach as a team, as they are striking out less and also being more productive at the plate. Young guys like Alec Bohm and Bryson Stott have made solid improvements, and even mid-season acquisitions like Brandon Marsh saw a jump in their numbers being a member of the Phillies. The evidence is clear in watching Game 3 of the World Series that something is going right for this team offensively.
Long’s track record speaks for itself, with 2 championships already under his belt and potentially a third on its way. Most hitting coaches do not have the track record that he has, which leads us to ask if Dave Martinez let the best hitting coach in baseball sneak away to a division rival.