Bartlett comes through big in clutch for Rays

A debate over whether there is such a thing as clutch hitting has raged for years now among baseball analysts and those who play and coach the game.

Not in question, however, is the job Jason Bartlett has done in clutch situations this season.

The Rays' top hitter at .344 overall is batting a remarkable .418 with runners in scoring position - the best in the majors - and is an even .500 (6-for-12) with the bases loaded.

Atlanta's Yunel Escobar was second overall at .408 entering Thursday's games, but the closest American League hitter was the Angels' Bobby Abreu at .386. Just behind Abreu is the Twins' Joe Mauer, the reigning batting champion and probably the league's best pure hitter.

That's elite company, and the fact that two players who came up through the ranks in Minnesota are on the list probably isn't a coincidence, in Rays manager Joe Maddon's opinion.

"Part of it, I believe, is that (Bartlett) was rooted in the Twins' system. The Twins have always been really good at doing those kinds of things," Maddon said. "I believe he plays with the middle of the field a lot under those circumstances and he doesn't hit a lot of fly balls when that situation comes up - he's more on a line, he's more on the ground, and he doesn't strike out that much.

"So he gives himself the best chance to be able to do those things by the way he hits under those circumstances. His numbers are actually a little bit high, in a good way, but nevertheless I think he should always be efficient because of the way he thinks in those moments."

The specifics of those thoughts will remain inside Bartlett's head. Asked this week about his stellar performance in the clutch, the All-Star didn't have the least bit of interest in discussing it.

"I really don't want to think about that," Bartlett said.

A little superstition is understandable with numbers like those Bartlett is trying to maintain, but it's one of his manager's favorite talking points.

It's also one every player in the Rays' organization will hear plenty about in the coming years as Maddon tries to wean his team from its high strikeout totals and convince the players that more positive things can happen when the ball is put in play.

"Believe me, that's going to be a big part of next spring training, is going to be the situational hitting and the adaptation as the count gets deeper," Maddon said. "Nobody on, two outs - go ahead and strike out if you have to, trying to hit a double or more. But with that runner on third and less than two outs, we've got to do a better job of moving the ball."

The Rays entered Thursday ranked 15th among big-league teams with a collective .265 average with men in scoring position (the Angels were first at .306).

More telling is the Rays' majors-leading total of 287 strikeouts with runners in scoring position; the woeful Nationals and Indians are just behind them on that count. Bartlett hasn't been much of a contributor there, fanning just 21 times in 111 plate appearances in those situations and standing along with Carl Crawford as positive examples for the Rays.

"Carl hits a lot of ground balls and line drives, too, and that's why I like him in those moments - he's not a big strikeout guy, either," Maddon said. "Guys like that, (with a) runner on third, less than two outs, have a better chance, I think, of being efficient.

"The higher strikeout guy is probably going to put up the points at any time, whereas specifically, situationally, the contact/line drive hitter has a better chance to pull in that run from third."

And Bartlett has done it better than anyone else this year.