Mets Name Johnny Washington Co-Hitting Coach

[Steve Drumwright]

 

The final spot on the New York Mets' coaching staff for 2027 has been filed.

Johnny Washington was hired by the Mets to be the co-hitting coach. Washington will share hitting coach duties with Troy Snitker, who was retained on new manager Andy Green's first Mets staff. Assistant hitting coach Rafael Fernandez remains on the staff. Washington takes the place of Jeff Albert, who was the director of hitting.

The 42-year-old Washington was the minor-league hitting coordinator for Atlanta this season. Washington worked under Green from 2017-19 when he was the manager of the San Diego Padres. Washington has also worked in the Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Angels and Los Angeles Dodgers' organizations.

Despite having MLB's second-highest competitive-balance tax payroll in 2026, the Mets finished 20th in runs and 23rd in OPS.

The only other newcomers to the staff Green inherited from Carlos Mendoza are Mariano Duncan as assistant coach and A.J. Ellis as major-league strategy coordinator.

 

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[Edgy MD]

This leaves Mariano Duncan's role as-yet undefined.

More interestingly, it doesn't clarify whether Washington or Snitker will have primacy among hitting coaches.

[Centerfield]

This feels like just the Mets just letting Andy Green fill out his staff.  I have no issue with it. 

Wish we had Kevin Long though. 

[Edgy MD]

What is interesting to me is that they are plucking guys that Andy got to know in his San Diego days, instead of guys Carlos got to know in his Yankee days.

Obviously, the Mets have long drawn staffers from the Yankees system, going back to Willie Randolph (who turned the hitting department over to Rick Down), and before that.

[seawolf17]

"Johnny Washington" sounds very much like a side character in a 1950s newspaper comic strip.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

I pictured a small-time hustler in a 1970s episode of Mod Squad

[MFS62]

How are they going to split the duties, one guy coaching the lefties and the other guy coaching the righties?

Later