This is certainly something.
Both of these coaches are good coaches. There have been significant upgrades in their lineup and infield while both of these guys were employed, especially when considering the entirety of their tenure rather than this past season.
However….
When considering Long and his coaching of the hitters, one cannot deny that some players have not truly
gotten to perhaps the fullest potential their draft status would have suggested (Alec Bohm, Bryson Stott) while the development of others hasn’t exactly screamed “success!” (Justin Crawford). Then we have the playoffs, where the offense has completely disappeared several years in a row. The need for a new voice makes a lot of sense, leading to Long’s dismissal.
With Dickerson, there have been noticeable improvements. Bohm was near atrocious as a third baseman, yet has advanced to at least slightly below average at the position. Stott has become one of the better, more versatile glovemen in the game. But again, as with Long, there have been enough noticeable decreases in player performance (Trea Turner, Bryce Harper) at the thing Dickerson is supposed to be coaching that change is also necessary.
That this happened today is kind of interesting, but we’ll hear more from Dave Dombrowski tomorrow.
