But the Cats' list is in a period of transition after the departure of premiership players Cameron Ling, Brad Ottens, Matthew Scarlett, Joel Corey, Josh Hunt and David Wojcinski in recent years.
As a result, Bartel, who turned 30 in December, is suddenly an elder statesman at Simonds Stadium. Where once he sought guidance from older players such as Brenton Sanderson, Tom Harley and Ling, he now finds himself dispensing advice to the club's impressive batch of youngsters – George Horlin-Smith, Jordan Murdoch and Cameron Guthrie, to name a few.
"It makes me feel old," Bartel said. "That's the main thing.
"I probably started playing footy when some of these guys were in grade three or four. I probably did footy clinics for a few of them here and there."
Asked if it was fun to be one of the wise, old heads among the playing group, the 2007 Brownlow medallist emphatically replied: "No. It's never fun being old."
But a grin soon swept across his face, and he changed his mind.
"It is good," he said. "You want to try and use your experience to help the younger players and fast-track their learning experiences and make their careers easier than yours.
Selwood ready to take on Adelaide
The fact Bartel celebrates his 250-game milestone when Geelong opens its home and away campaign against Adelaide at Simonds Stadium on Thursday is something else that makes him feel old.
But he has never been one to make a big deal of such milestones and he's no different with this one.
"It's probably something that I'll look back on when I'm finished my footy," Bartel said. "I'll be extremely proud of it then.
"If anything, I hope the milestone provides some acknowledgement for all the people who have helped me along the way. I hope they get the reward out of it, rather than myself."
Having finished seventh in Geelong's 2013 best and fairest after an impressive year playing deep in defence, Bartel has had plenty on his plate in the lead-up to this season.
In early February he wed his long-time partner, fashion guru Nadia Coppolino, at a ceremony attended by a range of his past and present teammates and coaches.
Bartel spent time at both ends of the ground during the NAB Challenge, gathering 17 possessions in Geelong's first game against Collingwood at Simonds Stadium and 17 in the second against Melbourne in Alice Springs.
"My role will probably change from week to week. That's all part of the fun of it," he said.
Lonergan ready to face J-Pod
These days Bartel has to manage a chronic elbow injury, which causes fluid to build up around the joint. But he has become an expert at ensuring the problem does not hinder his on-field ability.
In fact, Scott is adamant Bartel remains one of the most important players at the Cattery.
"He's a huge influence on the group, but the thing that I respect about Jimmy the most is the influence that he has on our team performance, especially in big games," Scott said.
Bartel has one year left to run on the four-year contract he signed on the eve of the 2011 finals series. With his next contract likely to be his last, he will soon need to address the matter of what comes after he hangs up his boots.
"I haven't put anything down in place just yet," Bartel said. "I'm still exploring a lot of things."
This is an edited version of a story published in the round one edition of the AFL Record.
