The Mets’ search for help in the hitting department may circle back to a very familiar name.
According to Mike Puma of the New York Post, the team is scheduled to meet Tuesday with longtime hitting coach Kevin Long about a coaching staff role. Long, who previously served as the Mets’ hitting coach from 2015 to 2017, was part of the staff that helped guide New York to the World Series in his first year with the club.
Long’s résumé is a full tour of the division. Beyond his time in Queens, he has also coached hitters with the Yankees, Nationals and Phillies. Philadelphia let him go this month after his fifth season on that staff, and the Phillies filled part of that opening by hiring former Mets manager Carlos Mendoza as their new third base coach and infield coach.
The Mets, meanwhile, have already made changes to their own staff. Earlier this month, they announced they had parted ways with Jeff Albert, their director of major league hitting.
Quality assurance coach Danny Barnes and batting practice pitcher Kevin Mahoney also will not return to the big-league coaching staff next season. Everyone else, including hitting coach Troy Snitker, is expected back.
How the organization chooses to rebuild the hitting group is still not settled. Albert’s exit leaves open the possibility of bringing in another director of major league hitting, but the Mets could also opt for a different structure since Snitker is already in place and just completed his first season on New York’s staff.
Long’s familiarity with the Mets is one obvious reason he fits the picture. Another is his connection to Juan Soto. Long coached Soto during his three seasons as the Nationals’ hitting coach, and Puma reported that the two are “close.”
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