Despite Phillies’ offensive problems, Kevin Long’s job could be safe – Phillies Nation
Tied for the worst file (9-19) in baseball with the Mets, the Phillies aren’t enjoying nicely in any space. Offensively, they’re nowhere close to the place they have been in latest seasons, and it has individuals questioning what sort of adjustments, if any, could be on the horizon.
One change that seems unlikely for now regards the hitting coach. Kevin Long, with the Phillies since 2022, in all probability is not going wherever.
The Athletic’s Matt Gelb noted on Sunday the Phillies signed Long to a three-year contract through the offseason. He was a training free agent and “entertained robust interest from rival clubs,” Gelb wrote.
Manager Rob Thomson, whose personal job safety is questionable proper now, had sturdy reward for Long following the Phillies’ 6-2 loss to the Braves Sunday, a day through which Philadelphia recorded simply two hits.
“Kevin’s one of the best in the game,” Thomson informed reporters, together with Gelb. “There’s a couple of Hall of Famers out there that will tell you that.”
The Phillies have been a top-ten scoring workforce in each season since Long grew to become hitting coach. This yr, although, their horrible begin has them twenty eighth in runs (102), solely forward of the Giants (97) and Mets (92). They are hitting .219/.294/.362 as a workforce.
The solely hitters the Phillies have been in a position to rely on this season are Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper. Brandon Marsh (.795) and Edmundo Sosa (.721) are the one different hitters with an OPS over .700. Everyone else has had tough stretches or has been straight up dangerous.
Trea Turner, batting .230 with a .658 OPS, has fallen off recently. Bryson Stott’s second-half success from final season has not transferred over to this season. Stott has a .541 OPS. Alec Bohm is one hundred and eightieth amongst certified hitters with a .412 OPS. That is useless final.
Those three are simply the tip of the iceberg for the Phillies’ scuffling lineup.
Pacing a 52-win season, the Phillies are in a serious funk. One that, if it continues one other week or two, could result in main adjustments. Whatever these adjustments would appear to be, do not be sure any of them would be the firing of Long, whose popularity each throughout the Phillies group and throughout baseball could be very excessive.
