The Pirates this morning reached a contract agreement with Don Long to become their new hitting coach.

Long, 45, had been the Philadelphia Phillies' minor-league hitting coordinator since 1999, after spending 12 seasons in the Los Angeles Angels' system as a minor-league manager and coach. The Pirates job is his first in Major League Baseball.

"We are pleased to add Don to our major-league staff," general manager Neal Huntington said. "He is a veteran hitting instructor who will positively impact our hitters' mental approaches, game plans and swing mechanics. Don is a great communicator and a tireless worker who has had successful results wherever he has been."

Long described his approach as hitting coach as one where each player is instructed individually, based on the strengths of his swing.

"The thing I'm interested in is connecting with each player and not just go with a blanket technique," Long said. "That's a little bit clich??d, I know, but you really have to get to know the player. You have to get them to trust what you're telling them."

The Pirates batted .263 as a team last season, 10th in the 16-team National League, as several prominent players dipped below their career averages under hitting coach Jeff Manto. They also drew only 463 walks, fewest in the league, continuing a stretch of poor patience that has plagued the patience most of this decade.

Long said his view of drawing walks is that they come naturally if the hitter remains selective.

"The type of hitter we're going to try to create is an aggressive but under control hitter," he said. "When he steps up to home plate, he's ready to hit every pitch until his eyes tell him no. He has to see the ball and recognize where it's going before he actually goes after it. . . . A lot of people are promoting walks in the game, and I believe this philosophy leads to that."

A shortstop in his playing days, Long batted .251 in three minor-league seasons -- 1983-85 -- in the San Francisco Giants' system, with 12 home runs and 76 RBIs in 198 games.

In the Philadelphia system, Long worked closely with new Pirates manager John Russell, who managed the Phillies' Class AAA affiliate the past two seasons.

Long's hiring leaves the Pirates with one vacancy on Russell's staff, that for first base coach. An announcement on that front could come later in the week.

More details in tomorrow's Post-Gazette.