2022 Bakersfield Train Robbers Season Recap - A Tougher Pacific Division and Another Trip to the Playoffs
The 2022 Bakersfield Train Robbers entered the season looking to build on the success of 2021, but they would find a much different Pacific Division waiting for them.
The Pecos League was continuing its recovery from the disruptions of the COVID era, teams were becoming stronger, and perhaps most importantly for Bakersfield, the powerful Tucson Saguaros were realigned into the Pacific Division.
That immediately raised the level of competition.
Under manager Relly Mercurio, the Train Robbers remained a playoff team, finishing third in the Pacific Division and earning a postseason matchup against Tucson.
Seth Strong and his notorious white batting helmet became one of the defining images of the Bakersfield offense, while Joe Riddle led the way on the pitching staff. Luke Kelley provided a huge number of innings, and Nicholas Trabacchi used his time with the Train Robbers as a springboard to eventually sign a minor league contract with the Minnesota Twins.
The Train Robbers would not advance past the opening round, but the 2022 season continued Bakersfield's run as a competitive Pecos League franchise while producing another player who would move into affiliated professional baseball.
The Pecos League Continues Its Return to Normal
The 2021 season had been played while independent baseball was still dealing with the effects of COVID and the unusual circumstances that surrounded professional sports during that period.
By 2022, the Pecos League landscape was becoming much more competitive again.
For Bakersfield, there was no bigger change than the addition of Tucson to the Pacific Division.
The Saguaros were already one of the most successful organizations in Pecos League history. Their presence dramatically strengthened a division that Bakersfield had competed successfully in during the previous season.
There would be fewer easy nights on the schedule.
The Train Robbers would have to earn their way back into the postseason.
Relly Mercurio Returns for His Second Season
Relly Mercurio returned to Bakersfield for his second season as field manager after taking over the Train Robbers in 2021.
Mercurio was beginning to establish the continuity that would eventually define his four-year run in Bakersfield.
The 2022 club was different from the team he managed during the COVID recovery season. The competition had improved and Bakersfield had to deal directly with a Tucson organization capable of winning the division and competing for the Pecos League Championship.
Despite the tougher environment, Mercurio kept Bakersfield in the playoff race.
When the regular season ended, the Train Robbers had finished third in the Pacific Division and earned another postseason appearance.
Seth Strong and the White Helmet
No player was more recognizable on the 2022 Bakersfield Train Robbers than Seth Strong.
Strong led the Bakersfield offense and did it while wearing his notorious white batting helmet, which became part of his identity at Sam Lynn Ballpark.
And Strong did considerably more than stand out visually.
He was the most dangerous hitter in the Bakersfield lineup.
Strong played 37 games and produced an incredible .451 batting average, collecting 69 hits in 153 at-bats.
He recorded 14 doubles, a triple and seven home runs while driving in 61 runs and scoring 45 times.
Strong also drew 26 walks and finished with a .521 on-base percentage and a .693 slugging percentage.
His 1.214 OPS demonstrated just how productive he was during the season.
When Strong stepped into the batter's box wearing the white helmet, opposing pitchers knew they were facing the centerpiece of the Train Robbers offense.
The helmet became memorable.
The hitting made it famous.
Joe Riddle Leads the Way on the Mound
Joe Riddle emerged as one of the key pitchers for the Train Robbers in 2022.
Riddle's role with Bakersfield would become increasingly important in the seasons that followed, but 2022 helped establish him as a dependable part of the Train Robbers pitching staff.
Bakersfield needed pitchers capable of surviving a much more competitive Pacific Division, particularly with Tucson now appearing regularly on the schedule.
Riddle helped provide that presence and began what would become a significant run with the Train Robbers.
Luke Kelley Gives Bakersfield 69.2 Innings
One of the most important pitchers on the 2022 staff was Luke Kelley simply because of the workload he was able to handle.
Kelley threw 69.2 innings for Bakersfield, giving Mercurio a pitcher he could repeatedly turn to during the summer.
The left-hander appeared in 12 games and made nine starts, finishing 5-0 with a 3.35 ERA.
Kelley struck out 86 hitters in his 69.2 innings while walking only 25.
For an independent team playing a demanding summer schedule, having a pitcher capable of providing nearly 70 innings was enormously valuable.
Kelley gave the Train Robbers exactly that.
He took the ball, worked deep into games and helped stabilize a pitching staff competing against a stronger Pacific Division.
Nicholas Trabacchi's Road to the Minnesota Twins
One of the most significant player-development stories from the 2022 Train Robbers involved right-handed pitcher Nicholas Trabacchi.
Trabacchi pitched 29 innings for Bakersfield, appearing in four games and making four starts.
He finished 2-2 with a 2.79 ERA.
In those 29 innings, Trabacchi allowed only nine earned runs and struck out 26 hitters while walking six.
His time in Bakersfield would prove to be another example of what the Pecos League can provide for a player looking for an opportunity to advance.
Trabacchi would later sign a minor league contract with the Minnesota Twins organization.
He continued climbing through affiliated baseball and eventually reached the Cedar Rapids Kernels of the Midwest League.
For the Train Robbers, his advancement was significant.
A pitcher who had taken the mound at Sam Lynn Ballpark and worked 29 innings in a Bakersfield uniform had turned his Pecos League opportunity into a contract with a Major League Baseball organization.
It was another example of the player-development side of independent baseball and another success story connected to the Train Robbers.
Tucson Changes the Pacific Division
The realignment of the Tucson Saguaros into the Pacific Division changed the road to the playoffs for everyone.
Tucson was not simply another team added to the schedule.
The Saguaros immediately became one of the division's strongest clubs and gave Bakersfield another high-level opponent it had to deal with throughout the summer.
The difference between the 2021 and 2022 seasons was noticeable.
The COVID recovery year was over.
The division was stronger.
The schedule was tougher.
And the Train Robbers still managed to finish third and qualify for the postseason.
Unfortunately, finishing third meant Bakersfield would immediately have to deal with Tucson when the playoffs began.
Bakersfield Draws Tucson in the First Round
The Train Robbers entered the postseason knowing there would be no easy path through the Pacific Division bracket.
Their first-round opponent was the powerful Tucson Saguaros.
Bakersfield's playoff run ended against Tucson, as the Saguaros eliminated the Train Robbers and advanced deeper into the postseason.
For Bakersfield, it was a disappointing end to a season in which the club had fought its way into third place despite the improved competition.
But Tucson would quickly demonstrate that the Train Robbers had been eliminated by one of the best teams in the league.
Tucson Wins the Pacific Division
After defeating Bakersfield, Tucson continued its postseason run against the San Rafael Pacifics.
The Saguaros defeated San Rafael to win the Pacific Division and advance to the Pecos League Championship.
Waiting for Tucson was a familiar opponent: the Roswell Invaders.
The matchup created a Pecos League Championship rematch between two of the league's most successful franchises.
Tucson had survived the Pacific Division, but Roswell ultimately had the final word.
The Invaders defeated the Saguaros and captured the 2022 Pecos League Championship.
Bakersfield's season had therefore ended against the eventual Pacific Division champion and Pecos League runner-up.
A Much Different Season Than 2021
The 2022 season was important in understanding the direction of the Train Robbers under Mercurio.
Bakersfield had experienced success in 2021 as the Pecos League and independent baseball continued recovering from the COVID period.
In 2022, the landscape became more difficult.
Tucson was in the division.
Competition increased.
The road through the playoffs became considerably tougher.
Yet Bakersfield remained in the postseason picture.
The Train Robbers did not dominate the division, but they did enough to finish third and give themselves another opportunity in the playoffs.
That consistency would become a defining characteristic of the Mercurio era in Bakersfield.
The Foundation of the Mercurio Years
In retrospect, 2022 represented an important step in Relly Mercurio's four-year run as Train Robbers manager.
His first season had come during the unusual circumstances of 2021.
His second came against stronger competition.
Bakersfield still made the playoffs.
Mercurio would return to manage the Train Robbers again in 2023 and 2024, eventually becoming the winningest manager in franchise history.
The 2022 club helped establish that consistency.
It wasn't a championship team, but it was another playoff team.
A Season Defined by Its Players
Looking back, several players stand out when remembering the 2022 Bakersfield Train Robbers.
Seth Strong and his white helmet became one of the most recognizable sights of the summer while Strong destroyed opposing pitching to the tune of a .451 batting average.
Joe Riddle emerged as an important piece of the pitching staff and would continue playing a major role for Bakersfield in the years ahead.
Luke Kelley gave the Train Robbers 69.2 valuable innings and finished 5-0 with a 3.35 ERA.
And Nicholas Trabacchi threw 29 innings in Bakersfield before eventually earning his opportunity with the Minnesota Twins organization and advancing as high as the Cedar Rapids Kernels of the Midwest League.
Those stories represented different sides of Pecos League baseball.
Strong represented the personalities that fans remembered.
Kelley represented the pitchers who took the ball throughout the summer and gave their team valuable innings.
Riddle represented continuity and became an important part of multiple Train Robbers seasons.
Trabacchi represented the opportunity to use independent baseball as a path into an MLB organization.
Another Summer at Sam Lynn Ballpark
The 2022 season also marked another year of Pecos League baseball at historic Sam Lynn Ballpark.
By this point, the Train Robbers had become firmly established as Bakersfield's professional baseball team following their arrival in 2017.
The unusual west-facing stadium, late summer start times and independent baseball atmosphere continued to give the Train Robbers an identity unlike almost any other team in professional baseball.
Every season at Sam Lynn seemed to produce its own characters and stories.
In 2022, Seth Strong's white helmet became one of them.
The 2022 Train Robbers
The final standings show Bakersfield finishing third in the Pacific Division.
The playoff bracket shows the Train Robbers losing in the opening round to Tucson.
But the season was more significant than those two results.
It was the second season of the Relly Mercurio era.
It was a season in which the Pacific Division became substantially stronger with the addition of Tucson.
It was a season in which Seth Strong became the offensive leader and one of the most memorable Train Robbers of the year.
It was a season in which Joe Riddle led the way on the pitching side and Luke Kelley provided nearly 70 innings.
And it was a season that included Nicholas Trabacchi, whose 29 innings in Bakersfield became one stop on a journey that would eventually take him into the Minnesota Twins organization and the Midwest League.
The Train Robbers didn't win the Pacific Division in 2022.
They didn't advance past Tucson.
But they remained a playoff team during a season when the road became considerably more difficult.
After the unusual COVID recovery season of 2021, the 2022 Bakersfield Train Robbers faced a stronger division, a tougher schedule and a championship-caliber Tucson team - and still found their way back to the Pecos League playoffs.