Mets To Interview Kevin Long About Coaching Job

The Mets and Kevin Long will meet tomorrow to discuss a possible role on the coaching staff, according to Mike Puma of the New York Post. Long is a familiar face in Queens, as he previously worked as the Mets’ hitting coach during the 2015-17 seasons. It’s logical to assume that Long is a candidate for the Mets’ director of hitting role, as Jeff Albert is moving on after four years in the job. The director of hitting position oversees the offensive approach for both the big league club and the organization as a whole, though there seemed to be a bit more focus on the active roster last year since Albert was a uniformed member of the 2026 coaching staff. Troy Snitker is expected to return for his second year as New York’s hitting coach, so unless those plans have changed, Long probably isn’t being viewed as a replacement. That said, Long only just came onto the market less than a week ago, after the Phillies parted ways with the 59-year-old with two years remaining on his contract. The director of hitting vacancy provides an easy way for the Mets to have both Long and Snitker on board, if that is the club’s preference. Long has spent the last 20 seasons as a Major League hitting coach, splitting that time between the Yankees (2007-14), Mets (2015-17), Nationals (2018-21), and Phillies (2022-26). Several of those years saw Long’s teams post some of the best offensive numbers in baseball, and his career highlights include World Series rings with the 2009 Yankees and the 2019 Nationals. None of the hitters from the 2017 Mets remain on New York’s roster, but a very prominent member of Washington’s 2018-21 squads is on hand in Juan Soto. Puma writes that Long and Soto are “close,” which is another selling point in favor of Long making a return to New York. View Comments (2)