Joe Christensen's Sunday Insider: Jason Bartlett, slugger

The Rays shortstop is putting up big offensive numbers, thanks in part to a bat from old teammate Justin Morneau.

By JOE CHRISTENSEN, Star Tribune

Last update: May 24, 2009 - 8:06 AM

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Word had it Jason Bartlett was using one of Justin Morneau's bats this season and crediting the gifted lumber for the spike in his performance.

Geez, didn't the Twins give Tampa Bay enough in that November 2007 trade? Bartlett, Matt Garza, Eduardo Morlan ... and this magic bat?

In his second year with the Rays, Bartlett is putting up better offensive numbers than any shortstop in baseball. He entered Friday ranked third in the American League with a .376 batting average and already had reached a career high with six home runs.

And he's swinging Morneau's bat?

"Just for batting practice," Morneau said. "It's pretty big. If he was using it in games, that would be impressive."

OK, that explains it.

Two years ago, the 6-4, 235-pound Morneau gave the 6-foot, 190-pound Bartlett a 35-ounce bat to use for batting practice.

"I said, 'It'll make your regular bat feel a lot lighter and a lot better in your hands,' " Morneau said.

So this spring, Bartlett asked Morneau for a couple more bats. Monday, Bartlett had a career-high five RBI against Oakland. When asked what he's doing differently this year, Bartlett said not much.

The only significant change, he said, is that he's been swinging this 35-ounce bat in batting practice before switching to his own 31 1/2-ounce model for games.

"My bat feels like a twig up there," Bartlett told the St. Petersburg Times.

Apparently, Carlos Pena also has used the bigger bat in batting practice, which might just cost Morneau the home run title. Pena entered Friday leading the American League with 14 home runs, and Morneau had 12.

Meanwhile, Bartlett is showing his own power surge. He batted .286 last year with one home run in 454 at-bats. Even then, Rays manager Joe Maddon raved about the impact he made on the team's defense.

The local writers voted Bartlett team MVP, and Garza was named MVP of the AL Championship Series. Most people judging the trade focus on Garza, who is 4-2 with a 3.41 ERA.

But at age 29, Bartlett could be an All-Star. He entered Friday leading all major league shortstops in batting, as well as on-base-plus-slugging percentage, at 1.004. That's even higher than Florida hotshot Hanley Ramirez, who was at .970.

Meanwhile, Twins shortstops -- Nick Punto, mostly -- combined to rank 25th in the majors with an .599 OPS.

"I know [Bartlett] played really well last year, but at no point did I see him play this well," Maddon told reporters this week. "I'm talking complete game."

Morneau gave Bartlett the bat with one caveat.

"As long as he doesn't use it against us," Morneau said.

We'll see next weekend. The Twins play a three-game series in St. Petersburg, Fla., and Bartlett will get a chance to show off his newfound hitting prowess.

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