Mets Add Johnny Washington as Co-Hitting Coach

The Mets have hired Johnny Washington as a co-hitting coach after unsuccessful efforts to bring in Kevin Long and John Mallee. Washington joins Troy Snitker, who held the hitting-coach role during the 2026 season in New York and is expected to remain the staff’s lead hitting coach.

Washington, 42, was the Braves’ minor-league hitting coordinator before joining the Mets. Atlanta also supplied Snitker, who arrived before the 2026 season.

Washington and Mets manager Andy Green previously worked together in San Diego, where Washington served on the Padres’ staff as an assistant hitting coach. AJ Ellis, recently brought aboard by the Mets to coordinate major-league strategy, caught for Green in San Diego in 2018 before moving into the Padres’ front office and later joining him in New York.

Washington began his coaching career in the Dodgers organization, then worked for the Padres as a first-base coach and assistant hitting coach. Following a brief spell in Korea, he came back to North American baseball with Chicago’s Cubs, helping Cody Bellinger regain his form. Washington coached the Angels’ hitters for two years before joining Atlanta in 2026.