Philadelphia Phillies' Hitting Coach Wasn't the Problem

The Philadelphia Phillies made multiple major decisions on Wednesday.

Of course, the most significant of all was retaining Don Mattingly, rewarding him with a two-year deal for the work he did as interim manager this season.

But they also made a couple of firings, parting ways with hitting coach Kevin Long as well as infield coach Bobby Dickerson.

Now, as far as Long is concerned, let's be honest here: he wasn't the problem.

The Phillies' offense was subpar in 2026, but it wasn't because Long wasn't doing his job. Maybe he didn't help, but he was not the primary culprit responsible Philadelphia's offensive struggles.

The main problem was the roster.

Dave Dombrowski did a very poor job of constructing the team for the season, knowing full well that he was heading into the campaign with major gaps in the outfield.

And what did he do to solve it last winter? He signed Adolis Garcia — who had been nontendered by the Texas Rangers — to a one-year contract and promoted Justin Crawford from Triple-A to man center field.

The Garcia decision backfired miserably, as 33-year-old managed a .599 OPS through 67 games before being knocked out for the season due to a shoulder injury.

Crawford definitely showed some flashes, but for the most part, he labored, slashing .264/.309/.353 while also having hiccups defensively.

And while the Phillies did go out and acquire second baseman Luis Arraez at the MLB trade deadline, they left their outfield untouched, choosing to rely on journeymen Bryan De La Cruz and Derek Hill to solve the problem.

Not surprisingly, none of that worked.

Philadelphia absolutely needs to bolster its lineup in the coming months. It would be inexcusable for Dombrowski to proceed into 2027 with a nearly identical roster, and I am curious to see how he goes about addressing the areas of concern. 

Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber cannot do it alone, and barring a resurgence next spring, Trea Turner may well be cooked.

Arraez and Alec Bohm are both free agents, so second base and third base are holes that need to be filled. Maybe the Phillies re-sign Arraez. Or maybe they'll go for someone with more power, like Brandon Lowe.

Regardless, Philadelphia needs to do something to improve this offense, or it's not going to matter who is the club's hitting coach next season.

It's time for Dombrowski to look in the mirror and understand where the problem lies.