Long, Dickerson will not return to Phillies staff in '27 (sources)

PHILADELPHIA -- The Phillies are making changes to the 2027 coaching staff, following Wednesday’s announcement that Don Mattingly is back as manager.

Sources backed up an NBC Sports Philadelphia report that hitting coach Kevin Long and infield coach Bobby Dickerson will not return. Long and Dickerson have worked together on the Phillies’ staff since 2022. The club has not confirmed the moves.

The Phillies’ offense ranked seventh in MLB in runs in 2022, eighth in '23, fifth in '24 and eighth in '25. But the offense struggled in '26, finishing 19th in runs. A hitting coach can only do so much, of course, and Long was respected amongst Phillies hitters. Kyle Schwarber often credited Long for his turnaround after the Cubs non-tendered him in 2020. But somebody had to take the fall for the team’s offensive failures.

The Phillies hope a new voice and philosophies in the batting cages will help.

The same can be said for Dickerson, who, like Long, has a stellar reputation in the game. He turned Alec Bohm into a serviceable infielder and helped Bryce Harper transition from career outfielder to first baseman.

Dickerson worked hard to help Trea Turner’s defense at shortstop. Turner had -6 outs above average in 2023 and -2 OAA in 2024 before improving to +17 OAA in 2025.

But Turner suffered his worst year at shortstop this year with -11 OAA. He struggled so much that there is speculation the Phillies might ask Turner to move to the outfield, if they believe it is a way to improve the roster. It’s unclear if they will.

The Phillies also will not bring back Minor League infielder coordinator Adam Everett and Minor League outfield coordinator Andy Abad.