57.05 Montreal's Bats Ablaze

[Bob Breum]

Many pundits wrote off Montreal’s chances this season, citing the age of their lineup. With nine players 34 and older, and only three under 30, Montreal has the oldest lineup in the league. Two of last season's marquee acquisitions, 36-year-old Pedro Huerta ($60 million/4 years) and 37-year-old Aarnoud Budding $28 million/3 years), disappointed in 2056:

Name	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS+	WAR
Budding	.234	.298	.429	91	0.2
Huerta	.237	.271	.416	80	-.3

.. ...
Aarnoud Budding .. Pedro Huerta

In 17 starts in this young season, they've posted slash lines closer to their career averages:

Name	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS+
Budding	.247	.321	.562	141
Huerta	.271	.366	.571	158

To be sure, the standard small sample size admonition applies. But the rest of the lineup is also hitting well. Four other starters have posted an OPS+ of over 120, with only one starter under 100. All-Star third baseman Eduardo González is batting .345/.420/552 (170 OPS+) and first baseman Lineu Aldo is hitting .320/.340/.649 (169 OPS+).

............
Eduardo González ... Lineu Aldo

The team is ranked third in the league in both runs scored and batting WAR.

Given the age of the roster, you would think that injuries would be a major concern, but only two players are Fragile: the two center fielders. Obviously, any player can succumb to an injury, but the point is that this roster is no more injury prone than other teams' much younger lineups. None of the big stars with large contracts are Fragile.

It's a long season, but early returns are very promising.