Jason Bartlett, Not Derek Jeter, Is the Best Shortstop in the American League

Derek Jeter for MVP consideration, right? Wrong. I don't see how he can win the award when he's not even the best player at his position.

Calm down Yankee fans; I'm a Derek Jeter fan, and I'm obviously talking about this year and this year only.

Jeter is having a fantastic year:

.331 avg, 16 HR, 59 RBI, 22 SB, .869 OPS

There's a shortstop, who was also an All-Star, that is having a better year. He is one of the most underrated players in baseball and in my book is a legitimate MVP candidate.

That shortstop is Jason Bartlett:

.344 avg, 11 HR, 58 RBI, 24 SB, .923 OPS

So, here's why Bartlett is more valuable to the Rays than Jeter is to the Yankees.

1. Jason Bartlett is the only consistent Ray

It's just gross when people say, "Well, Bartlett has Carlos Pena, Evan Longoria, and Ben Zobrist on his team..." Those are good players, but Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, and Robinson Cano are no Washington Nationals.

So, yes, Bartlett does have protection, but Jeter has just as much, if not more. Bartlett has been phenomenal all year. Bartlett has continued his hot hitting while the rest of the Rays have fallen off since the All-Star break (see Evan Longoria's .234 average since the break).

2. Lineup flexibility

B.J. Upton was supposed to be the next great thing this year. Leading off, however, he only has a .242 batting average and .317 on-base percentage. Bartlett, who has stayed in the seventh, eighth, and ninth spots most of the year, was asked to fill to the void.

He has been an exceptional leadoff hitter. He does everything right. He gets on base a lot, he hits, he looks at lots of pitches, and he steals bases. Not too shabby for a player that slugs over the .500 mark.

3. You can call Bartlett clutch

Everyone talks about how clutch Jeter is. This year, with runners in scoring position, he's batting .294, and when there are two outs with runners in scoring position, he's batting .289.

Bartlett, on the other hand, is batting a whopping .418 with runners in scoring position and .385 when there are two outs with runners in scoring position.

4. Bartlett is also a leader

Jeter is the captain of the Yankees, and we all know he fulfills his captaincy duties well. I don't understand why that gives him an edge.

If you ever turn on a Rays game, you would see that Bartlett works just as hard as Jeter. He's just as much of a leader as Jeter. He talks to pitchers when necessary, he throws his body out there, and he hustles on every play. Bartlett just does not get the media exposure Jeter does...nobody does.

Look at the Rays before and after Bartlett arrived. Before, they were garbage. After, they were in the World Series. Yes, Longoria and Pena help, but Bartlett is the consistent and reliable bat.

Jason Bartlett is the best shortstop in the American League this year. What a piranha...