Mark Herrmann of Newsday writes about the impact that hitting coach Kevin Long has made during his first season with the Mets. Even though the offense struggled mightily earlier in the season, he managed to stay positive and has helped the lineup back on track.
“I think overall I’m a positive guy and I know that if you stay the course and you’re diligent in your work and you trust what you’re doing, hopefully at the end of the day, it works out,” said Long, whose batters entered Monday night with a .273 average in August.
Ever since the additions of Yoenis Cespedes, Kelly Johnson and Juan Uribe, the offense has been outstanding. They were second in the MLB in runs scored during the month of August, and were only two runs behind the stacked the Toronto Blue Jays lineup for the most in baseball. The Mets also led the league in doubles and total bases.
“It helps to have solidified major league players,” he said. “You get Uribe, who”s got 10 years plus, and Kelly Johnson, who has got 10 years plus, and Cespedes, who is a young superstar, it definitely helps.”
Perhaps Long’s biggest contribution is helping Curtis Granderson regain his form. Granderson is having an excellent bounce back season reuniting with his former hitting coach and spoke very highly about him.
“He’s a big cheerleader, which you definitely need to have when you’re hitting,” Granderson said. “It’s obviously very difficult to hit, especially when you’re doing things that on the outside look great. You need that constant reminder that hey, things aren’t going the way you want them to. And when they’re not, you need somebody there to get you back in the right direction sooner than later.”
Long may credit the lineup’s turnaround to personnel change, but he’s played a big role in it too. He has been doing a great job, and he absolutely deserves some credit for how well the team has been hitting of late.
