Why Ernie Clement has been the star of Blue Jays’ spring training

Ernie Clement had a bit of an quiet arrival to the Blue Jays’ roster in 2023.

That March, Clement signed a minor league contract with the Blue Jays that included an invite to big league spring training. The contract came a day after he was released by The Athletics after playing six games with the A's in 2022.

Clement had previously spent parts of 2021 and '22 with Cleveland.

While he ended up spending most of the 2023 season with Triple-A Buffalo, he ended up playing in 29 games with the Blue Jays, where he went 19-for-50 (.380) with one home run in 10 RBI, which helped him enter spring training last season as the favorite to nail down a utility spot on the Blue Jays. 

One year later, there’s no questions about Clement’s status on the Blue Jays’ roster. After having a solid 2024 season that ended with a Gold Glove nomination, Clement’s off to a red-hot start this spring that’s confirmed that he’ll be the Blue Jays’ third baseman when the season opens on March 27 at Rogers Centre.

Ernie Clement’s strong spring has been a great sign for the Blue Jays

Clement’s off to a great start this spring, as entered Monday hitting .435 (10-for-23) with two home runs, six RBI and a stolen base. And, perhaps most importantly, he’s playing in games again after getting hit in the face by a 91 mile per hour fastball last week. 

Clement was initially removed from the Blue Jays game out of the fear of a possible concussion and a lip laceration, but he ended up being okay and returned to the Blue Jays’ lineup on Thursday and blasted a monster home run in his first at-bat back.

“They hurt when they hit you in the face,” Clement said after the game, per MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson. “And it hurts when you hit them over the fence for the other guys. I guess I had to get a little bit of revenge there.”

That homer was Clement’s second of the spring, which is incredibly promising. While Clement is a contact savant (100th percentile in strikeout rate, 96th percentile in whiff rate), he’s never been much of a power threat (3rd percentile in hard-hit rate). 

Any additional power out of his spot in the lineup would be a huge boon for the Blue Jays. While he may never be a huge power threat at third base, he finished last year with 12 home runs, so it would be a surprise to see him finish with 15+ homers this year. 

And, as last week showed, he’ll do everything in his power to be in the lineup, which will also help his production. 

“He’s a hockey player at heart,” manager John Schenider said after Clement got hit in the face. 

That durability will be key for a Blue Jays team that’s still figuring out its bench. They have plenty of depth options in the outfield like Davis Schneider, Myles Straw or Alan Roden, but things are a bit thinner on the bench. Addison Barger’s played well so far this spring, but both Leo Jiménez and Will Wagner have struggled. 

But that guaranteed roster spot hasn’t cut into Clement’s drive. 

“I’m not taking anything for granted,” Clement said. “I’m going out there trying to make a team and show them that I can make an impact all year. There are times I can work on things, which is great, but I still have the same mindset. I’m trying to make this team.”

Two years ago, Clement arrived in Dunedin as a bit of an afterthought. Now he’s set to leave spring training as one of the most important players on the team's roster.