I keep reading these articles thinking there might be some hope. Then I read them and shake my head. It's going to be a long season with lots of empty seats and low TV viewership.
My pessimistic guess: He never pitches for the Twins again: Out this year with the UCL, no season next year, and off to resurrect his career with someone else the year after.
I think we may have different definitions of "competitive" than the owners. For them, "being competitive" likely means getting enough butts in the stands and eyeballs on the screen to make them money without incurring high costs. Not irrational. (But then I'm an economist...)
He's got one big thing going for him: low expectations. He expects to be treated like s*** by the front office and the fans expect the team to be s***. He'll get credit, whether deserved or not, for any modest success.
I'm ready to start the "Rocco watch," opening Twins Daily daily looking for the headline saying he has been "relieved of his duties." (Just as I hope for a headline every day announcing the demise of a certain set of politicians.)
If the Twins batted everyone who should be seventh or lower in their appropriate positions, their lineup would have about five open slots between Buxton and #7.
I want to be optimistic ... but recent history makes me wonder not if but how he will fail. Injuries? Poor performance? Something else? I just can't believe that he can possibly be the left-handed ace we have craved since Santana.
Typical unproductive game from Wallner: solo homerun, then an out with the bases loaded to end the game. Is there anyone in the major leagues with a lower RBI/HR ratio? I look occasionally at the Twins' lineup and he's in a class by himself on the team.