Jason Bartlett (baseball)

Jason Alan Bartlett (born October 30, 1979) is a Filipino American former professional baseball shortstop. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins, Tampa Bay Rays, and San Diego Padres.

Early life
Bartlett grew up in Lodi, California, and attended St. Mary's High School in Stockton, California. Bartlett went to San Joaquin Delta College and the University of Oklahoma, where he played for the Oklahoma Sooners baseball team. In 2000, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod Baseball League and was named a league all-star.

Professional career
Bartlett was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 13th round (390th overall) of the 2001 Major League Baseball Draft.  In July 2002, he was traded to the Minnesota Twins for Brian Buchanan after the Padres had drafted shortstop Khalil Greene in the first round.

Bartlett made his MLB debut on August 3, 2004. He recorded his first five-hit game in the Twins' 11-5 victory over the Kansas City Royals on August 6, 2006. When on the Twins, Bartlett was one of four players known for speed and small ball, nicknamed "The Piranhas" by Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillén. The Twins embraced the term during the 2006 season. The other Piranhas were Jason Tyner, Luis Castillo, and Nick Punto.

In 2007, he led all major league shortstops in errors with 26. On November 28, 2007, the Twins traded Bartlett along with Matt Garza and Eduardo Morlan to the Tampa Bay Rays for Delmon Young, Jason Pridie, and Brendan Harris.

On October 22, 2008, Bartlett stole a base in the fifth inning of Game 1 of the World Series, earning America a free taco from Taco Bell. Bartlett finished the season batting .286 with one home run, and was voted by local Tampa sportswriters as the Rays' MVP for the year.

On July 5, 2009, Bartlett was selected to represent Tampa Bay in the 2009 All Star Game. He finished the year batting .320, which was, at the time, the highest batting average in Rays history. On July 23 of the same year, against the Chicago White Sox, he grounded out to Alexei Ramírez for the final out of Mark Buehrle's perfect game. Bartlett had a 19-game hitting streak during the season, which remains the longest hitting streak in Rays history.

Bartlett played in 135 games for the Rays in 2010 and posted a batting line of .254/.324/.350.  On December 17, 2010, Bartlett was traded to the San Diego Padres for Adam Russell, Cesar Ramos, Brandon Gomes, and Cole Figueroa.

Bartlett was the Padres regular shortstop in 2011 and finished the season batting .245 with 2 home runs and 23 stolen bases.  He had the lowest slugging percentage of all major league ballplayers with 512 or more plate appearances, at .307.

The Padres opened 2012 with Bartlett again as their everyday shortstop but he played his last game for the team on May 14, batting .133 with 4 RBI over 29 games.  Three days later he was moved to the disabled list with a right knee strain.  On the same day, his fellow middle infielder Orlando Hudson was released and the Padres brought up Everth Cabrera and Alexi Amarista in corresponding moves.  On August 20, 2012, the Padres requested unconditional release waivers on Bartlett.

After sitting out the 2013 season, he signed a non roster contract with the Minnesota Twins on November 11, 2013. After playing in three games for the Twins, Bartlett retired on April 19, 2014.

References

External links

1979 births
American baseball players of Filipino descent
American League All-Stars
Baseball players from Santa Clara County, California
Charlotte Stone Crabs players
Durham Bulls players
Eugene Emeralds players
Fort Myers Miracle players
Gulf Coast Twins players
Lake Elsinore Storm players
Living people
Major League Baseball shortstops
Minnesota Twins players
New Britain Rock Cats players
Oklahoma Sooners baseball players
Sportspeople from Lodi, California
Sportspeople from Mountain View, California
Rochester Red Wings players
San Diego Padres players
Tampa Bay Rays players
Harwich Mariners players
St. Mary's High School (Stockton, California) alumni
Baseball players from San Joaquin County, California