Ernie Clement

For the English road racing cyclist, see Ernie Clements.

Ernie Clement
Clement with the Cleveland Indians in 2021
Toronto Blue Jays – No. 22
Utility player
Born: (1996-03-22) March 22, 1996 (age 29)
Rochester, New York, U.S.
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
MLB debut
June 13, 2021, for the Cleveland Indians
MLB statistics
(through 2025 season)
Batting average.260
Home runs25
Runs batted in126
Stats at Baseball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Teams
MLB records
  • Most hits in a single postseason: 30 (2025)[1]

Ernie James Clement (/kləˈmɛnt/; born March 22, 1996) is an American professional baseball utility player for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB) and the United States National Team. He was selected by the Cleveland Indians in the fourth round of the 2017 MLB draft. He has played for the Cleveland Indians/Guardians and Oakland Athletics. He also holds the record for the most hits in an MLB postseason with 30, which he set in 2025.

Amateur career

Clement attended Brighton High School in Rochester, New York, where he played baseball, ice hockey,[2] freshman football and, as a senior, soccer, "just ... to try something new."[3] From the ages of 9–13, he also played lacrosse. In middle school, he played for his school's volleyball team and played CYO basketball.[4] As a senior hockey player for the combined Brighton/East Rochester/Honeoye Falls–Lima team, he led Monroe County in scoring with 27 goals and 25 assists.[5]

For his high school baseball career, he hit .472.[6] The year before his high school graduation, he attended a baseball camp at the University of Virginia where he attracted attention from the Virginia Cavaliers and Radford Highlanders baseball programs. As a senior, he hit .528 with no strikeouts and accepted a partial scholarship to play college baseball at Virginia.[7] Undrafted out of high school in the 2014 MLB draft, he honored his commitment and enrolled at the University of Virginia.[8]

In 2015, Clement's freshman year with the Virginia Cavaliers, he played in 62 games (61 starts), hitting .245/.303/.310 with one home run and 22 runs batted in (RBIs). He hit .292 in the 2015 College World Series and was named to the All-CWS Team, helping Virginia win their first ever national title.[9][10][11] He spent the summer playing in the Northwoods League with the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters.[12] As a sophomore at Virginia in 2016, he batted .351/.383/.443 with one home run and 30 RBIs in 60 games (all starts), earning a spot on the All-Atlantic Coast Conference Third Team.[13][14] In the summer of 2016, he played in the Cape Cod Baseball League for the Harwich Mariners where he was named the league's Most Valuable Player after hitting .353 with 59 hits in 40 games while primarily playing center field.[15][16] In 2017, his junior season with Virginia, he hit .315 with two home runs and 34 RBIs in 58 games, earning All-ACC Third Team honors for the second consecutive year.[17] In 745 collegiate at-bats, Clement struck out only 31 times, and walked 34 times.[18][19][20]

Professional career

Cleveland Indians / Guardians

Clement with the Akron RubberDucks in 2019

The Cleveland Indians selected Clement in the fourth round of the 2017 MLB draft.[21][22] He signed with Cleveland and made his professional debut with the Mahoning Valley Scrappers of the Low–A New York–Penn League, hitting .280/.315/.343 with 13 RBIs in 45 games.[23][24] He began 2018 with the Lake County Captains of the Single–A Midwest League and was promoted to the Lynchburg Hillcats of the High–A Carolina League and Akron RubberDucks of the Double–A Eastern League during the season.[25][26] Over 102 total games between the three clubs, he slashed .289/.358/.375 with two home runs, 33 RBIs, and 18 stolen bases, while being caught stealing 10 times, and played exclusively shortstop.[27][20]

Clement returned to Akron to begin 2019,[28] but missed a month during the season with an adductor strain.[29][30][31] At the end of the year, he played in three games for the Columbus Clippers of the Triple–A International League.[32] Over 101 games during the year, Clement batted .269/.323/.331 with one home run, 28 RBIs, and 17 stolen bases while being caught 10 times.[33] He was selected to play in the Arizona Fall League for the Mesa Solar Sox following the season.[34] Clement did not play a minor league game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.[35] The Indians added him to the 40-man roster on November 20, 2020.[36] To begin the 2021 season, he returned to Columbus, now members of the newly-formed Triple-A East; playing 33 games for them and two games for Akron he batted a combined .244/.287/.382 with one home run and 10 RBIs in 145 plate appearances.[37]

On May 30, 2021, Clement was promoted to the major leagues for the first time as the 27th man on the Indians' roster for the second game of their doubleheader against the Toronto Blue Jays; he did not make an appearance in that game and was optioned back to Columbus the next day.[38] Clement was recalled by the Indians on June 13, 2021.[38] He made his major league debut that same day as a pinch hitter against the Seattle Mariners, striking out in his first major league plate appearance.[39] For the season, playing 40 games for Cleveland he hit .231/.285/.339 with three home runs and nine RBIs in 133 plate appearances.[20]

On June 27, 2022, Clement became the first position player to pitch for Cleveland since Mike Freeman on June 29, 2019, and gave up six hits and four earned runs in two innings in two games.[40][41] He appeared in 64 games for Cleveland in 2022, hitting .200/.264/.221 with no home runs and six RBIs. Clement was designated for assignment on September 21, 2022.[42]

Oakland Athletics

Clement was claimed off waivers by the Oakland Athletics on September 23, 2022.[43] He appeared in six games for Oakland, going 1-for-18 (.056) with a double.[20]

On December 13, Clement was designated for assignment following the signings of Aledmys Díaz and Jace Peterson. He cleared waivers and was sent outright to the Triple-A Las Vegas Aviators on December 16, but never played for them.[20][44] Clement was released by the Athletics on March 12, 2023.[45]

Toronto Blue Jays

On March 14, 2023, Clement signed a minor league contract with the Toronto Blue Jays organization.[46] He played in 35 games for the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons, hitting .328/.409/.512 with five home runs, 25 RBI, and six stolen bases. On May 23, Clement's contract was selected to the active roster.[47]

In 2024, Clement batted .263/.284/.408. While playing at second base, shortstop, and third base,[41] Clement recorded 10 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS). Despite playing only 661 innings as a third baseman, he was named a finalist for a Gold Glove Award for third base.[48]

In 2025, he batted .277/.313/.398 and played more than 60 innings at all four infield positions (predominantly third base and second base) to help the Blue Jays win the American League East for the first time in ten seasons. He was nominated for Gold Gloves at both third base (despite only playing 603 defensive innings at third base) and the utility position, but did not win for either.[49][50]

Clement had an offensive surge in the postseason which made him a fan favorite, as the Jays reached the World Series.[51] In the eighth inning of Game 7 of the World Series, Clement hit a double off of Dodgers reliever Emmet Sheehan for his third hit of the game. This was his 30th hit of the 2025 postseason and a record for most hits in a single MLB postseason, passing Randy Arozarena's 29 hits in the 2020 postseason (Blue Jays teammate Vladimir Guerrero Jr. would end the 2025 postseason also with 29 hits.)[52] He nearly had a championship-clinching hit in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 7 with two outs and the bases loaded, but his fly ball to the warning track in left-center field was caught by Dodger center fielder Andy Pages while colliding with left fielder Enrique Hernández; the Blue Jays would go on to lose in extra innings. Clement's 22 singles in the 2025 postseason were also a record. He finished the playoffs hitting .411 (30-for-77), with a .977 OPS, six doubles, one triple, one home run, nine RBI's and 13 runs scored, and having played every inning of the postseason.

In January 2026, Clement and the Jays avoided arbitration with a $4.6 million deal for the 2026 season.[53]

References

  1. ^ "Most hits by an MLB player in a single postseason". StatMuse. Retrieved November 4, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  2. ^ Ramspacher, Andrew (June 24, 2024). "Balancing success: Clement is latest Virginia baseball star to emerge from a multi-sport background". The Daily Progress. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
  3. ^ Johnson, James (April 25, 2014). "Baron of Brighton". Democrat and Chronicle. p. D1. Retrieved January 13, 2026.
  4. ^ Johnson, James (April 25, 2014). "Baron of Brighton". Democrat and Chronicle. p. D3. Retrieved January 13, 2026.
  5. ^ "Ernie Clement". Democrat and Chronicle. April 11, 2014. p. I6. Retrieved January 13, 2026.
  6. ^ "All-Greater Rochester". Democrat and Chronicle. Archived from the original on July 9, 2019. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  7. ^ Johnson, James (June 25, 2013). "Brighton infielder gives verbal commitment to play at University of Virginia". Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved January 13, 2026.
  8. ^ Doughty, Doug (June 1, 2017). "Twist of fate led to sparkling career for UVa's Ernie Clement". Roanoke Times. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
  9. ^ "National Champions! Virginia Wins 2015 College World Series". Virginia Cavaliers Athletics. June 25, 2015. Archived from the original on April 25, 2020. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
  10. ^ "UVa claims first baseball national championship in 2015 | 125 Years of Progress". dailyprogress.com. June 25, 2017. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  11. ^ Teel, David (June 25, 2015). "Virginia's College World Series championship all about culture". dailypress.com.
  12. ^ Schooley, Julie (August 2, 2015). "Rafters bring 9-4 Win Over Bombers - Wisconsin Rapids City Times". Wisconsin Rapids City Times. Wrcitytimes.com. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  13. ^ Ramspacher, Andrew (February 11, 2017). "Virginia baseball preview: Position outlooks | cavalier Insider". dailyprogress.com. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  14. ^ "ACC Announces 2017 Baseball Season Honors". theacc.com. May 22, 2017.
  15. ^ Oklobzija, Kevin (August 4, 2016). "Brighton's Ernie Clement named Cape Cod League MVP". Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  16. ^ "#14 Ernie Clement". pointstreak.com. Retrieved July 20, 2021.
  17. ^ "Cleveland Indians Draft Brighton's Ernie Clement". Spectrum Local News. June 13, 2017. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  18. ^ Fledderjohann, Andy (June 13, 2017). "A Fitting First: Teammates, Roommates Go Back-to-Back in Draft's First Round | UVA Today". News.virginia.edu. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  19. ^ Lastoria, Tony (June 13, 2017). "2017 Indians 4th Rd Pick: Ernie Clement". 247Sports. Retrieved January 14, 2026.
  20. ^ a b c d e "Ernie Clement Amateur, College, Minor & Fall Leagues Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
  21. ^ "Brighton's Ernie Clement, Webster Thomas' Logan Harasta picked in MLB Draft". Democratandchronicle.com. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  22. ^ Anstey, Evan (June 13, 2017). "Brighton's Ernie Clement drafted by Cleveland Indians". RochesterFirst. Rochesterfirst.com. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  23. ^ "Clement signs with Cleveland Indians". CBS 19 News. June 22, 2017. Archived from the original on July 9, 2019. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
  24. ^ "A look back at Mahoning Valley Scrappers history". Tribune Chronicle. June 14, 2019. Retrieved January 14, 2026.
  25. ^ Rallo, Curt (June 7, 2018). "Cleveland Indians' Nolan Jones and Ernie Clement". Minor League Baseball. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  26. ^ Alexander, Elton (June 22, 2018). "Ernie Clement a hit for Lake County Captains: Cleveland Indians Minors". cleveland.
  27. ^ Blum, Sam (September 6, 2018). "How former Cavaliers fared in the minor leagues this season | cavalier Insider". dailyprogress.com. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  28. ^ Wayne Epps (May 18, 2019). "Former UVA standout Ernie Clement thrives on mix of discipline and aggression at the plate | Sports". richmond.com. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  29. ^ RotoWire Staff (April 18, 2019). "Indians' Ernie Clement: Back on IL". CBSSports.com. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  30. ^ RotoWire Staff (May 9, 2019). "Indians' Ernie Clement: Returns from IL". CBSSports.com. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  31. ^ Bournival, Brad. "Back from injury, RubberDucks' Ernie Clement making up for lost time - Sports - Akron Beacon Journal - Akron, OH". Akron Beacon Journal. Ohio.com. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  32. ^ "Clippers 6, Indians 1 | Ernie Clement stars in Clippers debut - Sports - The Columbus Dispatch - Columbus, OH". The Columbus Dispatch. Dispatch.com. Archived from the original on August 14, 2020. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  33. ^ Noga, Joe (February 20, 2020). "Ernie Clement draws comparisons to ex-Indians infielder John McDonald in second big-league training camp". cleveland.
  34. ^ Norris, Josh (August 28, 2019). "2019 Arizona Fall League Rosters Announced". www.baseballamerica.com.
  35. ^ Adler, David (June 30, 2020). "2020 Minor League Baseball season canceled". MLB.com. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  36. ^ Franco, Anthony (November 20, 2020). "Indians Select Five Players To 40-Man Roster". MLB Trade Rumors.
  37. ^ Topkin, Marc (April 30, 2021). "Rays set rosters for four minor-league teams". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved February 16, 2025.
  38. ^ a b "Transactions". MLB.com.
  39. ^ Maiorana, Sal (June 15, 2021). "Brighton's Ernie Clement singles for his first major league hit Tuesday night". Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  40. ^ Vadaj, Rachel (June 27, 2022). "Utility player to pitcher: Ernie Clement takes the mound for the Guardians". Cleveland 19. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  41. ^ a b "Ernie Clement Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
  42. ^ McDonald, Darragh (September 21, 2022). "Guardians Designate Ernie Clement, Select Will Brennan". MLB Trade Rumors.
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  44. ^ "A's reach two-year contracts with Aledmys Diaz, Jace Peterson". ESPN.com. Associated Press. December 13, 2022. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
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  46. ^ "Blue Jays' Ernie Clement: Inks minors deal with Toronto". CBSSports.com. March 14, 2023. Retrieved January 1, 2025.
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  48. ^ Harrigan, Thomas; DeRosa, Theo (October 15, 2024). "Here are all of this year's Gold Glove Award finalists". MLB.com. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
  49. ^ Randhawa, Manny (November 3, 2025). "2025 Gold Glove Award winners". MLB.com. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
  50. ^ Murphy, Brian; Randhawa, Manny; DeRosa, Theo (October 15, 2025). "2025 Gold Glove Award finalists". MLB.com. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
  51. ^ Matheson, Keegan (October 28, 2025). "Under the radar no more: How Clement became Blue Jays' cult hero". Major League Baseball. Retrieved November 4, 2025.
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allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernie_Clement