See more of our coverage in your search results.
The Phillies are keeping things the same at the top but there will be some notable changes to other key facets of organizational philosophy.
Longtime hitting coach Kevin Long and infield coach Bobby Dickerson are not returning for the 2027 season to be part of new full-time manager’s Don Mattingly staff, according to reports.
Long, the former Yankees and Mets hitting coach, had two more years on his contract, per The Athletic.
These moves — with at least one being a firing — shows that team brass believes change is needed to two areas that ultimately failed the Phililies this season.
Long joined the Phillies in October 2021 and oversaw some great offensive seasons, but the Phillies ranked 22nd in OPS with a .707 mark this year.
Trea Turner’s notable regression in the fourth year of an 11-season pact notably stood out, and the team’s offense has routinely failed in the playoffs in recent years.
Philadelphia scored nine runs in its three-game wild-card loss to the Braves this year, tallied 15 in a four-game NLDS loss to the Dodgers in 2025 and 12 in another four-game NLDS loss to the Mets in 2024.
Kyle Schwarber pushed for the team to keep Long beyond 2025 before the slugger re-signed with the team last offseason, per NBC Philadelphia, and the assistant reportedly received a three-year pact.
The Athletic reported that the promotion of Luke Murton to assistant general manager for hitting may have factored into the decision to go with a new voice leading the offensive program.
The Phillies also hired Dickerson in October 2021 and he’s exiting after a rough defensive season.
Philadelphia tied for the league-worst mark by posting minus-51 defensive runs saved (DRS) and ranked in the bottom 10 with minus-15 outs above average (OAA), per Fangraphs.
Turner also endured a massive dip in his defensive metrics, going from positive-2 DRS and positive-10 OAA in 2025 to minus-17 DRS and minus-9 OAA this past year.
The Phillies will also have a new third base coach in 2027, per The Athletic, with Anthony Contreras shifting to a new role.