MINNEAPOLIS -- To go along with Derek Jeter and Joe Girardi, the New York Yankees have another important member of their team who will be a free agent at the end of this postseason.
He is hitting coach Kevin Long. If this were the NFL, Long, 43, would be the young, hot assistant on the short list to lead a team.
Baseball is more of a specialty sport so, at least for now, Long is pigeonholed as a hitting coach.
Still, Long is building a strong case for a raise. Especially with the well-documented work he has done with Curtis Granderson.
Granderson was at it again in Game 2 of the American League Division Series, hitting the ball with authority, going 3-for-4 (including a double) and scoring a run in the Yankees' 5-2 win over the Twins on Thursday. The Yankees are up two games to none, and Granderson has been in the middle of it all -- which would have been unimaginable two months ago.
Back in August, Granderson looked like a lost cause, a guy guaranteed to be sitting on the bench when lefties started in the playoffs -- and maybe even when righties were on the mound. But Girardi gave Granderson two days off to work with Long.
Granderson went from a closed stance to an open stance. He moved his hands back. And he kept both hands on the bat throughout the swing.
Long then added one more ingredient.
"I think the biggest thing he gives you is the level of confidence, no matter what the result happens to be," Granderson said. "I remember specifically when we were out there in Texas and I am out there taking batting practice. To me, everything felt very uncomfortable. And he's like, 'Man, you are looking great. The ball is jumping off your bat.' So I'm like, 'Hey, I must be doing something right.'"
Curtis Granderson is 4-for-8 with three RBIs in the ALDS.Without Long, what has started out as a magical postseason for Granderson probably doesn't happen. Yankees general manager Brian Cashman wants Long back because Long can relate to guys from Alex Rodriguez to the 25th man on the team.