“He puts his ego aside — if he even has an ego,” says closer Louis Varland. “He’s willing to do whatever it is for the team as long as the team wins.
“He’s that kind of guy, which is the best ever.”
Ernie Clement, All-Star?
There’s one more honorific awaiting Clement, an appropriate coda to a year that saw him crowned a postseason hero, a WBC rep and Monroe County king for a day.
Clement leads all primary AL second basemen in average (.300), OPS (.771), slugging and wRC+ (113). His first trip to the All-Star Game would seem to be in order, particularly with a Blue Jays fan base clicking his name however many times their Rogers 5G Internet will allow.
It’s the next logical step for a player maximizing his window.
“As a guy who has been DFA’d,” says Gausman, “I feel like I have a different appreciation for it. There aren’t many guys who get that many second chances, especially as a position player, unfortunately.
“He’s a guy that really, from the day he came over, everybody knew the talent he had. His unique ability to not strike out. But you’ve seen him get more comfortable, more confident. Success comes with that.
“But he’s turned himself into such a complete player.”
Clement has essentially grown up with this Blue Jays team, allowed runway by manager John Schneider to produce 3.3 WAR in their 88-loss 2024 season, and then turning into a 30-hit monster in the 2025 postseason.
As success came, so, too, did a certain freedom.
“Ever since I’ve been here, they haven’t tried to change who I am and the kind of hitter I am. They let me be me,” says Clement. “Schneids and all the hitting coaches I’ve had here have helped me lean into my strengths.