Report: Kevin Long generating buzz around MLB as managerial candidate

Kevin Long (left) is the Phillies’ hitting coach. (Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire)As the Phillies were dousing each other in champagne in celebration of an NLCS berth, some news came out about the potential future of the hitting coach who helped them get there.

MLB Network’s Mark Feinsand reported on Saturday that Kevin Long has emerged as a candidate to fill one of the five Major League managerial openings, after just one season as the Phillies’ hitting coach.

As Feinsand also noted, Long has earned plenty of praise in helping turn the Phillies’ offense into one of the better groups in the sport, ranking seventh in the regular season in runs and eighth in OPS even after a tough first two…