As seen on fellow FanSided site, That Ball's Outta Here, rumors have begun to circulate that Philadelphia Phillies' hitting coach Kevin Long could potentially be fired as the team looks for answers after their latest playoff failure. Due to his familiarity with the Washington Nationals' organization, could he be due for a return to the Nation's Capital?
In theory, a reunion would make a ton of sense for the Nationals, who had plenty of offensive struggles of their own during the 2024 season, and perhaps a reunion with the Nationals would help to coax his favorite pupil, Juan Soto, to come back to DC.
However, for this to happen, there would need to be a couple of things that would need to happen. First of all, although nothing is official yet, the Phillies would obviously have to relieve Long of his duties. While nothing is set in stone yet, it's obvious that the team isn't going to get rid of any of their big stars, many of them being former Nats as well, and will have to figure out other ways to jump start their core in the postseason.
You see things like this all the time in the NFL, where coaches or coordinators are fired or replaced in order to jump start a struggling team or unit. It makes a lot of sense for the Phillies to move on, as sometimes it's important to get a new voice in the building to change things up.
For the Nationals, they would need to follow suit with the firing of Darnell Coles. Don't get me wrong, I personally would make this switch in a heartbeat, as Kevin Long was a great hitting coach for the Nationals previously, and led this offense to great heights during the 2019 World Series run. I do believe that Coles will ultimately be retained, as we know Mike Rizzo justified the staff being kept on for next season for the reason of establishing continuity, which can be crucial for young teams that are developing.
However, where Long would especially be able to help would be to help unlock some Nationals' hitters who have struggled with hitting too many ground balls, such as Keibert Ruiz, James Wood, and CJ Abrams, among others. Getting Long in the building as the new voice of reason would help them be able to elevate more consistently, and perhaps help the aforementioned players tap into a new level of their potential.
While it would be fun to sit here and imagine what Long could do with this talented Nationals core, I would be shocked if the Nationals were to swap out Darnell Coles for him, despite the wishes of the fanbase. Here's to hoping for a reunion, but if not then wishing all the best for Kevin Long.
Do you think the Nationals could bring back Kevin Long? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.