A day after learning the popular Bob Henley and Randy Knorr won’t be returning to the Washington Nationals coaching staff next season, the Nats reportedly have another opening. And it’s a huge one.
Hitting coach Kevin Long is leaving the team to join the Philadelphia Phillies in the same position. The Athletic’s Britt Ghiroli and Matt Gelb were the first to report Long’s departure. It’s bad enough losing Long, but losing him to a NL East rival makes the loss a gut punch.
Long joined the Nationals in 2018. He was instrumental in making the Nationals a better hitting team. He is credited largely with the development of Juan Soto. The 22-year old Soto is considered to be one of, if not the best, hitter in all of baseball.
The two have bonded in the three seasons together. Often seen together before games. Soto chose Long to pitch to him during this year’s Home Run Derby. The pair was spotted in the front row of Dodger Stadium during the NL wild card game last week, rooting on former Nationals Max Scherzer and Trea Turner.
That is why losing Long is considered to be huge. And it’s just not Soto. Long helped Turner become a lethal hitter at the plate. Soto won the NL batting title in 2020. Turner won it in 2021 edging out Soto.
The Nationals signed Kyle Schwarber and traded for Josh Bell this season. Both were coming off down years at the plate. But the Nationals had confidence Long would refocus both at the plate.
Schwarber went on a historic home run tear as the leadoff hitter before a quad injury sidelined him in July and ultimately traded to the Boston Red Sox. Bell struggled early-on in the season. But hit .282 or better in three of the final four months of the season.
As a whole the Nationals remained one of the best hitting teams in baseball. They led the NL in batting average and on-base percentage. That’s despite the team going through a roster overhaul at the start of the season and again at the trade deadline.
According to Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports, Long chose the Phillies for an opportunity to reunite with Bryce Harper. The two were together in 2018 in Washington before Harper left for Philadelphia in free agency the following winter.
Last season, it was thought Long would leave. He sought a multi-year deal. The Nationals only offered a one-year contract. After testing the waters, Long returned to Dave Martinez’s staff.
Now, his departure is sealed. Instead of continuing his great work on a young and rebuilt core in Washington, Long will be developing and retooling the Phillies. His record is impeccable. He’s considered one of the best hitting coaches in baseball.
He has two World Series rings in the position with the 2009 New York Yankees and the Nationals in 2019. Now he is taking his talents to the City of Brotherly Love.
What’s next for the Nationals is unclear. One thing for sure, the Nationals will get an up and close view of Long’s work being in the same division with the Phillies.
