Phillies Make Coaching Changes After Mattingly Hire

The Philadelphia Phillies are set to bring in new faces to key coaching positions for the 2027 season, despite retaining Don Mattingly as their full-time manager. Longtime hitting coach Kevin Long and infield coach Bobby Dickerson are reportedly not returning to Mattingly's staff.

Long, who joined the Phillies in October 2021, had two years remaining on his contract. His departure comes after the Phillies offense finished 22nd in OPS (.707) this past season. The team's offensive struggles have been a recurring issue in recent postseasons, including scoring only nine runs in their three-game wild-card series loss this year and 15 runs in a four-game National League Division Series loss in 2025.

Despite these offensive metrics, Kyle Schwarber had reportedly advocated for Long to remain with the team. The Athletic reported that the recent promotion of Luke Murton to assistant general manager for hitting may have influenced the decision to seek new leadership for the offensive program.

Bobby Dickerson, who was also hired in October 2021, will also be departing. His exit follows a season where the Phillies' defense ranked poorly, tying for the league worst with minus-51 defensive runs saved (DRS) and placing in the bottom ten for outs above average (OAA). Notably, Trea Turner experienced a significant decline in his defensive metrics, moving from positive DRS and OAA in 2025 to negative figures in both categories this past year.

The Phillies will also see a change at third base coach, as Anthony Contreras is moving to a new role within the organization.