Phillies fire 2 coaches after retaining Don Mattingly

As the Philadelphia Phillies confirmed Don Mattingly’s return as manager on a two-year contract covering the 2027 and 2028 seasons, they made changes elsewhere, firing hitting coach Kevin Long and infield coach Bobby Dickerson after an underwhelming 2026 season, Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia reported Wednesday.

Long and Dickerson had worked together in Philadelphia since 2022, remaining with the organization through managerial transitions from Joe Girardi to Rob Thomson and, eventually, Mattingly. Their departures follow considerable declines in both offensive production and infield defense.

Long joined the Phillies in October 2021 after four seasons with the Washington Nationals. Philadelphia’s offense remained among the league’s most productive during his initial years, but the team’s performance deteriorated significantly in 2026. The Phillies finished 2025 with a .759 OPS, ranking fourth in MLB, and a .258 batting average, the second-best mark in baseball. Those figures fell to a .707 OPS and a .240 average this season, ranking 22nd and 21st, respectively.

Philadelphia also dropped to 24th in slugging percentage after ranking among the league’s top six in that category throughout Long’s first four seasons. Although the Phillies reached the postseason for the fifth consecutive year, their offense went missing in action, mustering just eight runs in a three-game Wild Card Series defeat to the Atlanta Braves.

Long had been under contract through 2028 after receiving an extension following the 2025 season. He was also a trusted figure for prominent hitters, including Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner. His previous major-league coaching stops included the New York Yankees, New York Mets and Washington, and he won World Series titles with the Yankees in 2009 and the Nationals in 2019.

Dickerson’s exit follows another difficult season defensively. Philadelphia’s infield went from a plus-20 Outs Above Average rating in 2025 to minus-11 in 2026, a 31-out decline. The Phillies also allowed opponents to hit .274 on ground balls, compared with the MLB average of .249. An average conversion rate on grounders would have prevented 46 hits over the season.

Although Dickerson helped Alec Bohm improve at third base and oversaw Turner’s defensive resurgence in 2025, Turner regressed this year. Dickerson also worked on Harper’s transition to first base in 2023.

The defensive changes go beyond the major-league staff. Philadelphia did not retain infield coordinator Adam Everett, who had served for five seasons, or outfield coordinator Andy Abad, a 15-year organizational employee.

The Phillies are expected to make further coaching decisions as Mattingly prepares for his first full season as manager. President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski is scheduled to address reporters Thursday morning, with Mattingly also set to discuss the team’s direction and upcoming staff changes.