Bartlett pulls the plug

Jason Bartlett's 2014 line:
three official at-bats, three
strikeouts, three runs scored.

Jason Bartlett abandoned his comeback attempt this week.

It doesn't often happen that a player has a more realistic view of his abilities than management does, but he apparently could tell what Ron Gardenhire couldn't: He's just not good enough to play major league ball at age 34.

I have been critical, perhaps bitterly so, of the Twins decision to keep Bartlett on the roster. Now that Bartlett had decided to hang 'em up, allow me to note that my displeasure was not aimed at Bartlett himself. I will never criticize a player for trying to squeeze one more year (or two, or three) out of his body. I have a certain admiration for the guys like Jacque Jones, who spent the 2010 season in Triple A trying to get back to the majors.

No, my displeasure was over the Twins' flawed evaluation of Bartlett's current skills. That he emerged from spring training with a major league job was a triumph of wishful thinking and managerial favoritism.

Bartlett this week saved Gardenhire from himself.