Joe Cronin joins as assistant hitting coach while Edwar Gonzalez stays on the staff.
The Phillies named Peter Fatse their new hitting coach on Tuesday, pulling him away from the Rays organization to take over a lineup that badly needs a reset. Joe Cronin was hired as assistant hitting coach, joining Edwar Gonzalez, who remains on staff in the same role.
Fatse had most recently worked with the Rays, but he previously spent time as Boston's hitting coach from 2022 through April of this year before that run ended. He now steps into Philadelphia to replace Kevin Long, whose tenure wraps up after a season in which most of the Phillies' hitters regressed.
The hire signals a shakeup in how the Phillies approach offense after a disappointing year at the plate. With Fatse and Cronin now in place alongside Gonzalez, the coaching staff gets a near-total overhaul in that department, putting the pressure on the new group to get more production out of a roster that underperformed last season.