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2018 Roswell Invaders Season Recap - Relly Mercurio Takes Over and Roswell Wins 41 Games
The 2018 Roswell Invaders entered a new era under manager Relly Mercurio and immediately remained one of the strongest teams in the Pecos League. Mercurio had already been part of the Roswell organization before taking over the club, but 2018 represented his opportunity to lead the Invaders himself, and the results were outstanding.
Roswell finished the regular season 41-19, winning more than 68 percent of its games and finishing only one-half game behind the Tucson Saguaros for first place in the Southern Division. It was another excellent regular season for a Roswell franchise that had become accustomed to winning, and the Invaders also featured one of the most remarkable offensive performances in Pecos League history as Brian Portelli rewrote the Roswell record book.
But a season that looked capable of producing another deep postseason run ended suddenly when the Trinidad Triggers swept Roswell in the opening round of the playoffs. For Mercurio, 2018 was therefore a season of two very different stories. The regular season established him as a successful manager immediately, while the postseason provided a painful reminder that regular-season success guaranteed nothing once the Pecos League playoffs began.
Relly Mercurio was already familiar with the Roswell Invaders organization when he took over the club in 2018. He had worked with the Invaders during the previous seasons and understood both the Pecos League and the expectations surrounding professional baseball in Roswell.
Those expectations were considerable. Roswell had been one of the foundational franchises of the Pecos League since 2011, had already won championships in 2011, 2013 and 2015, and had reached the Pecos League Championship Series again in 2017. Roswell wasn't a franchise where simply being competitive was considered enough. The expectation was to make the playoffs and contend for another championship.
Mercurio inherited that expectation and immediately produced a winning team.
A New Pecos League Alignment
The Pecos League changed its divisional structure for the 2018 season, moving to three divisions of four teams each. Roswell was placed in the Southern Division with the Tucson Saguaros, Ruidoso Osos and White Sands Pupfish. The Mountain Division consisted of Alpine, Santa Fe, Trinidad and Garden City, while the Pacific Division featured Bakersfield, California City, High Desert and Monterey.
The playoff format also changed. Six teams would qualify for the postseason: the three division winners and the next three teams with the best records regardless of division. That made every regular-season victory important and created a playoff race that extended beyond individual divisional standings.
The Southern Division quickly became a two-team race between Roswell and Tucson. Both clubs separated themselves from Ruidoso and White Sands and spent the season battling for the division championship.
Both teams ultimately won 41 games. Tucson finished 41-18 while Roswell finished 41-19, and that one-half game difference decided the Southern Division championship. The Invaders had played championship-caliber baseball throughout the regular season and still finished second.
Roswell's .683 winning percentage was one of the best marks in the entire Pecos League. Only Alpine and Tucson finished ahead of the Invaders in winning percentage, making Roswell unquestionably one of the league's elite regular-season teams.
Brian Portelli Has an All-Time Pecos League Season
No discussion of the 2018 Roswell Invaders can begin anywhere other than Brian Portelli. Portelli produced one of the most extraordinary offensive seasons in Pecos League history, playing all 60 regular-season games and collecting 102 hits in 241 at-bats.
Portelli scored 91 runs, hit 19 doubles and blasted 32 home runs while driving in an incredible 114 runs. Those weren't simply good numbers. They were video-game numbers. Portelli averaged nearly two RBIs per game over the entire season, reached 100 hits in a 60-game schedule and hit more than one home run every eight at-bats. He also drew 53 walks.
Roswell's official franchise history states that Portelli set every offensive record for the Invaders and describes his season as an all-time Pecos League performance. At the conclusion of the season, Portelli moved on to professional baseball in Canada.
He wasn't simply Roswell's best hitter. He became the centerpiece of the entire offense, and virtually every major Roswell rally had the possibility of running through Portelli. The Invaders had other outstanding offensive players, but nobody approached the extraordinary combination of power and run production that Portelli produced.
Louis Martini Provides Power and Patience
Louis Martini gave Roswell another dangerous hitter near the top of the lineup. Martini played all 60 games and collected 80 hits in 230 at-bats. He scored 76 runs, produced 15 doubles and 12 home runs, and drove in 53.
Martini also drew 64 walks, the most on the club. That ability to reach base was particularly valuable with hitters such as Portelli waiting behind him. Martini added 15 stolen bases, and his combination of on-base ability, speed and power helped make Roswell's offense extremely difficult to navigate.
Nolan Hoff Gives Roswell Another Reliable Bat
Nolan Hoff also played all 60 games, collecting 76 hits in 229 at-bats and scoring 67 runs. Hoff hit 12 doubles, three triples and drove in 39 runs.
Like Martini, Hoff showed tremendous patience at the plate, drawing 53 walks. With Martini and Hoff consistently reaching base ahead of Roswell's power hitters, Mercurio had a lineup built to create large innings.
Logan Coughlin Adds 14 Home Runs
Logan Coughlin supplied even more power. Coughlin played 58 games and collected 82 hits in 239 at-bats. He scored 68 runs, hit 14 doubles and launched 14 home runs while driving in 61.
That gave Roswell another hitter capable of changing a game with one swing. Between Portelli and Coughlin alone, the Invaders received 46 home runs.
Austin Maltby Produces Huge Power in Limited Games
Austin Maltby made an enormous impact despite playing only 38 games. Maltby collected 49 hits in 148 at-bats, including 15 doubles and 13 home runs, while driving in 41.
Nearly 57 percent of Maltby's hits went for extra bases. His power gave Roswell yet another dangerous bat in an already deep lineup.
Ed Reichenbach Adds Another Middle-of-the-Order Threat
Ed Reichenbach played only 34 games but collected 50 hits in 138 at-bats. He scored 41 runs, hit 11 doubles and nine home runs and drove in 38.
Reichenbach's production further demonstrated how deep Mercurio's offense had become. Roswell didn't depend entirely on one or two players. Portelli was extraordinary, but behind him were Martini, Hoff, Coughlin, Maltby, Reichenbach and several others who could produce runs.
Jordan Garr and Gavin Lavallee Add More Depth
Jordan Garr collected 49 hits in 47 games, scored 40 runs, hit nine doubles and five home runs and drove in 33. Gavin Lavallee played 41 games and collected 47 hits, including seven doubles, two triples and seven home runs, while driving in 39. Jordan Ackerman added 45 hits, 39 runs, 12 doubles and 11 stolen bases.
It was an exceptionally deep offensive team. There were dangerous hitters throughout the lineup, giving Mercurio multiple ways to create offense on any given night.
The strength of Mercurio's roster was obvious. Roswell had runners getting on base throughout the lineup, speed, doubles power and, most importantly, extraordinary home-run power.
Portelli hit 32 home runs. Coughlin hit 14. Maltby hit 13. Martini hit 12. Reichenbach hit nine. Lavallee hit seven. Garr hit five.
That gave Mercurio the ability to erase deficits quickly. A game could change in one inning, and sometimes it could change with one swing.
The Pitching Staff Battles Through the Season
Roswell's pitching staff didn't receive the same attention as its explosive offense, but the Invaders had enough pitching to win 41 games. Ricky Mitchell became one of the club's primary inning eaters, appearing in 15 games, including five starts, and throwing 50.1 innings. He finished 2-5 with a 5.54 ERA and struck out 30 hitters.
Caleb Mireles appeared in 10 games and made five starts, throwing 31.1 innings and striking out 31. John Saviano became one of Mercurio's primary relief pitchers, appearing in 18 games and striking out 28 hitters in 22 innings. Preston Bailey appeared in 11 games, while Jake Waters also contributed important innings and finished 3-1 with a 5.25 ERA.
The pitching staff didn't need to dominate every night. With Roswell's offense, the primary objective was often simply to keep the game within reach. The Invaders' hitters frequently took care of the rest.
The 2018 statistics contain one of those details that perfectly captures Pecos League baseball. Relly Mercurio himself appeared in two games as a pitcher, throwing two innings and posting a 4.50 ERA. He also appeared briefly as a position player during the season.
It wasn't a major statistical contribution, but it reflected the nature of independent baseball and Mercurio's willingness to do whatever was required to get through a season.
A Pecos League Full of Strong Teams
Roswell's 41-19 record was excellent, but it was also part of an unusually competitive group at the top of the league. Alpine finished 47-15, Tucson finished 41-18, Roswell finished 41-19 and Trinidad finished 41-21.
Four teams won at least 41 games. That meant the postseason field contained several clubs capable of winning the championship, and Roswell had every reason to believe it belonged in that group.
Half a Game Short of Tucson
The Southern Division race ultimately came down to the smallest possible margin. Tucson finished 41-18. Roswell finished 41-19. Half a game separated the two clubs.
The Invaders had won exactly as many games as Tucson, but the Saguaros had one fewer loss and claimed the Southern Division title. Roswell still easily qualified for the postseason as one of the strongest non-division-winning teams in the Pecos League.
For Mercurio, reaching the playoffs in his first season as manager represented a successful regular season. But Roswell wasn't interested in simply qualifying. This was a franchise accustomed to postseason success, and the Invaders wanted another championship run.
A Familiar Opponent Awaits
Roswell's first-round opponent was the Trinidad Triggers, and the matchup immediately brought back memories of the 2017 postseason. One year earlier, Roswell had defeated Trinidad in the opening playoff round, helping launch the Invaders on a run to the Mountain Division Championship and eventually the Pecos League Championship Series.
Now the same two teams were meeting again, but this time the circumstances were different. Trinidad had gone 41-21. The Triggers were every bit as capable of winning the series as Roswell, making it one of the strongest first-round playoff matchups the league could produce.
Trinidad Gets Revenge
The rematch did not go the way Roswell hoped. Trinidad defeated the Invaders in the opening game of the series, sending Roswell back to Joe Bauman Stadium needing to respond.
Instead, the Triggers won again and completed the sweep. Just like that, a 41-win Roswell season was over. There would be no repeat trip to the Pecos League Championship Series and no opportunity for Roswell to win its fourth championship.
The Invaders had spent the entire summer establishing themselves as one of the best teams in the league. Two postseason losses ended everything. Roswell's official franchise history summarizes the result directly: the Invaders finished one-half game behind Tucson for first place and then were swept by Trinidad in the first-round rematch.
Trinidad's run did not ultimately produce a championship. The postseason continued with Bakersfield defeating California City and eventually defeating Alpine in a memorable three-game series. The Bakersfield Train Robbers went on to win the 2018 Pecos League Championship.
For Roswell, that meant another season watching another organization celebrate the title. It was frustrating because the Invaders had certainly produced a roster talented enough to contend. The playoffs simply did not cooperate.
2018 Roswell Invaders - By the Numbers
Regular Season Record: 41-19 Winning Percentage: .683 Southern Division Finish: Second Place Games Behind Tucson: 0.5 Playoff Opponent: Trinidad Triggers Playoff Result: Lost series 0-2
The playoff sweep made the ending disappointing, but the 2018 season cannot be remembered without recognizing what Brian Portelli accomplished. In only 60 games, Portelli produced 102 hits, scored 91 runs, hit 32 home runs and drove in 114.
Roswell's official history says Portelli set every offensive record for the Invaders and describes his performance as an all-time Pecos League season. That is exactly what it was. Portelli's production became one of the defining individual seasons in the history of the Roswell franchise.
At the end of the year, his performance earned him an opportunity to continue playing professional baseball in Canada. For a league built partly around helping players advance to other professional opportunities, it was exactly the type of success story the Pecos League was designed to produce.
An Outstanding First Season for Relly Mercurio
The postseason loss shouldn't obscure what Relly Mercurio accomplished in his first season managing Roswell. His club won 41 games, finished only one-half game out of first place, produced one of the most explosive offenses in the league and qualified for the postseason.
Mercurio successfully maintained the standard established by one of the Pecos League's most successful franchises. That was not automatic. Roswell had been through managerial changes and roster turnover before, yet Mercurio stepped into the job and immediately kept the Invaders near the top of the standings.
The only major disappointment came at the worst possible time. Two playoff games against Trinidad ended a season that had otherwise been remarkably successful.
41 Wins - And Still Wanting More
That is the best way to summarize the 2018 Roswell Invaders. They were very good. They went 41-19, won the same number of games as Tucson and finished only half a game away from a division championship.
Brian Portelli produced a historic offensive season. Louis Martini reached base constantly. Logan Coughlin hit 14 home runs. Austin Maltby hit 13 in only 38 games. The lineup was deep and dangerous, and Relly Mercurio had proven in his first season that he could successfully manage the Roswell Invaders.
But the Pecos League playoffs can erase months of success very quickly, and Trinidad did exactly that. The Triggers swept Roswell and ended the Invaders' championship hopes before they could really begin.
For most franchises, a 41-19 season would have been remembered without qualification as an enormous success. Roswell's standards were different. The Invaders had already won three Pecos League championships, had reached the championship series the year before and expected to play deep into the postseason.
That made the ending disappointing, but the season itself established something important.
Relly Mercurio could manage a winning Pecos League team.
His first Roswell club won 41 games. He would return in 2019 and lead another winning Invaders team back to the postseason.
