The Phillies have found the man they want to fix their offense. Peter Fatse, the former Boston Red Sox hitting coach, is coming to Philadelphia to replace Kevin Long, according to multiple reports and as first reported by Charlotte Varnes of The Athletic. The club had not formally announced the move as of Tuesday morning, but the news has been widely confirmed. Fatse, 39, joins a staff led by Don Mattingly, who had his interim tag removed this month and signed a two-year deal to manage the club. Former Mets manager Carlos Mendoza has also been added as infield and third base coach.
Fatse walks into a job with plenty of work waiting. The Phillies slipped into the playoffs on the final day of the 2026 season, and the bats were a big reason it was that close. Philadelphia finished 22nd in the majors in OPS and 19th in runs scored. Of the 11 hitters who had at least 130 plate appearances, only Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper were clearly above league average. Trea Turner and J.T. Realmuto both fell well short of what the club expected. When Dave Dombrowski announced that Long would not return, the president of baseball operations said he wanted a coach who could use modern data while explaining it clearly to both veterans and young players. Fatse’s track record suggests he fits that description.
Fatse’s road to a big league dugout was anything but direct. He grew up in Hampden, Massachusetts, a Red Sox fan to the core. He and his brothers built a Wiffle ball field in their yard modeled after Fenway Park, complete with lights and a warning track. He starred at Minnechaug Regional High School and then at the University of Connecticut, where he played alongside future big leaguers George Springer and Nick Ahmed. By the end of his junior season in 2009, Fatse had 23 career home runs, placing him among the best power hitters in Huskies history.
The Milwaukee Brewers drafted Fatse in the 24th round in 2009. He spent two seasons in their system as a utility player, topping out at High-A, before playing two more years of independent ball. His playing days never led to the majors, but independent ball opened a different door. Along the way, he met hitting instructor Doug Latta’s school of thought through Bobby Tewksbary, the swing coach later known for his work with Josh Donaldson. A late-night session breaking down swings on video changed the way Fatse saw hitting. He has said that was where his “swing journey” began.
In 2010, Fatse opened his own hitting academy in Palmer, Massachusetts. He ran it for nearly a decade, working with everyone from 10-year-olds to professional players. Former UConn teammate Ahmed leaned on him as he became Arizona’s everyday shortstop, and players kept coming back for more. That reputation got the attention of the Minnesota Twins, who hired him as their minor league hitting coordinator in January 2019. After just one season in that role, the Red Sox came calling.
The Red Sox / Alex Cora Connection and Why Hitters Trust Him
Boston hired Fatse as assistant hitting coach in October 2019. He spent two seasons learning under Tim Hyers, and the two built such a strong bond that the club had discussed making Fatse a co-hitting coach. When Hyers left for Texas after the 2021 season, Fatse was promoted to the top job. Hyers backed him without hesitation, saying, “Pete is really smart. He’s a great hitting coach.”
The results in Boston were solid, if not spectacular. The Red Sox ranked ninth in the majors in OPS in 2022, 2023 and 2025, and seventh in 2024. Over his four full seasons, they ranked in the top 10 in runs, batting average and slugging. There were misses, too. Several young hitters, including Kristian Campbell and Marcelo Mayer, did not develop as hoped, and Jarren Duran never quite recaptured his breakout form. Fatse’s run ended on April 25, 2026, when Boston fired him, manager Alex Cora and several other coaches after a 10-17 start. He spent the rest of the summer as a hitting consultant in the Tampa Bay Rays’ research and development department.
You cannot tell this story without Alex Cora. Fatse was very much Cora’s guy in Boston. According to reports, Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow considered shaking up the hitting staff during and after the 2025 season. Cora’s response was blunt: if Breslow wanted to fire his coaches, he would have to fire Cora too. Breslow backed off twice before finally cleaning house in April. That kind of loyalty says a lot about how Cora viewed Fatse’s work.
It’s worth noting something that some fans may assume, but would be wrong to do so: Dombrowski and Fatse never actually worked together. Dombrowski ran baseball operations in Boston from 2015 to 2019, hired Cora as manager and won the 2018 World Series with him. But Dombrowski was let go in September 2019, a few weeks before Fatse was hired. The real link runs through Cora. Dombrowski and Cora have a well documented baseball relationship and remain close, just as Cora remains close with Fatse. Dombrowski reached out to Cora about managing the Phillies this year, and Cora turned the opportunity down. Cora has said the two are still talking. Some observers see the Fatse hire as a door left open for Cora down the road. Whether that’s true or not, it’s hard to imagine Cora didn’t put in a good word.
What Veterans Say About Him
For all the talk about numbers and connections, the strongest case for Fatse comes from the players who worked with him. One player described him to The Boston Globe as a “top, top hitting mind and work ethic in the hitting world.” Players widely considered him beloved in the Red Sox clubhouse.
Veteran Dominic Smith may be the best example. When Smith joined Boston in 2024, Fatse dug up old videos of Smith from high school to remind him what made him a first-round pick. Smith took off, hitting .290 with a .921 OPS in July of that year. He bought into Fatse’s message that “there’s a reason why you get to the big leagues.” Even this season, playing for Atlanta, Smith still credited Fatse with helping him get back to basics.
Alex Bregman, one of the most respected veteran hitters of his generation, worked alongside Fatse in 2025 to help young star Roman Anthony learn to handle left-handed pitching. Reports also indicated Bregman spoke up for the coaching staff when Breslow first considered changes. After Fatse was fired, Trevor Story, a team leader, said the front office’s explanation was not good enough. Perhaps most telling, several key Red Sox hitters kept calling Fatse for advice even after he was gone.
A Coach Who Meets Players Where They Are
Fatse has long said that the heart of coaching is trust between player and coach. He believes different hitters respond to different cues, so he tailors his message to each one. He’s also known for lighter touches, like the pregame playlist he ran in Boston to get hitters fired up. That personal approach could matter in a Phillies clubhouse full of established stars with very different swings and habits.
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