Ernie Clement swore he鈥檇 never skate again.
He was five or six years old and already a little sports fiend as he took the ice for the first time at a cousin鈥檚 birthday party. Everyone else on the rink made it look easy 鈥 that side of the family was big into hockey. Clement couldn鈥檛 even stand up.
鈥淚 was by far the worst one,鈥 Clement said, sitting in the Blue Jays鈥 dugout fresh off batting practice. 鈥淚 was miserable and I hated it. I went home crying and said I never wanted to skate again. That same winter, my dad signed me up for hockey.鈥
It was far from a punishment.
Mike Wilner talks to Jays manager John Schneider the day after they swept the New York Yankees to take sole possession of first place in the AL East. Schneider talks about how it feels to be here, the resurgence of George Springer and a host of other unexpected heroes. Listen to the Star’s podcast, Deep Left Field at /podcasts/deep-left-field
Clement always had a knack for baseball, but he grew up playing every sport imaginable. That was in part because the weather in Rochester, N.Y., didn鈥檛 lend itself well to year-round baseball, but it was also because his parents were quick to identify something in their naturally gifted child: Ernie needed to be challenged. He needed a good struggle.
Sometimes, that came from doing homework. Other times, it was playing a musical instrument. For a short while, hockey fit the bill.
The first practice went about as well as the birthday party, prompting Clement once again to say he wanted to quit. His father, Peter, had a different proposal.
鈥淗e’s like, 鈥榊ou have to make it the next four weeks. After four weeks, if you still don’t want to do it, you never have to play again, but you have to make it through four weeks,鈥欌 Ernie said. 鈥淚 improved, and I ended up just loving it. And it ended up being my second-favourite sport.鈥
Ernie Clement played hockey growing up and enjoys playing mini-sticks with his Jays teammates.
Cole Burston Getty ImagesOver 20 years later, Clement鈥檚 love for baseball remains undefeated. But all of those other experiences, and the challenges that came with them, are still showing their worth today.
鈥淗e seems to kind of just evolve,鈥 said George Springer, who鈥檚 played with Clement since 2023. 鈥淗e seems to be kind of a chameleon. He can just do anything that you want him to do, or anything he wants to do.鈥
That makes things interesting in a major-league clubhouse, a space where anything can turn into a competition. There鈥檚 card games, ping pong, video games, mini-stick hockey and endless made-up sweepstakes. Clement is right in the middle of it all.
Ernie went 9 for 11 after rippin鈥 some ched 馃彃
On an off-day, you might find Clement on the golf course 鈥 something he didn鈥檛 pick up until a couple of years ago 鈥 or maybe playing basketball with his buddies. Sign him up for anything that involves athleticism and competitiveness.
Blue Jays foursome Justin Turner, left, Chris Bassitt, Davis Schneider and Ernie Clement play golf at Torrey Pines last season.
@redturn2 / Instagram鈥淲hen we talk about the best athletes in the clubhouse, he’s probably the first guy that everyone mentions,鈥 said Davis Schneider, one of Clement鈥檚 closest friends in the Blue Jays鈥 clubhouse. 鈥 鈥 Any time that we play golf is annoying because he’s just so good. I can never beat him. He’s always clutch. Pick-up basketball, too. He has a good jumper. He’s very agile. You see him on the field, he can run, he can move left or right really well. He’s just annoying. Like, he’s always that guy. He’s good at everything.鈥
It鈥檚 part of what鈥檚 made Clement so valuable for the Blue Jays.
The 29-year-old Clement is listed as a third baseman, but he鈥檚 turned himself into the ultimate utility infielder. When Andr茅s Gim茅nez landed on the injured list with a quad strain, Clement turned into 色色啦鈥檚 everyday second baseman. When Bo Bichette had to sit a whole series due to knee discomfort, Clement took over at shortstop. And when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. needed a couple of DH days after being hit in the arm by a pitch, guess who got those first-base reps.
Over 84 games, Clement has put himself firmly in the conversation for a utility Gold Glove, posting 12 outs above average 鈥 the fourth-best mark in the big leagues 鈥 and nine runs prevented, per Baseball Savant. You鈥檒l hear that his athleticism makes up for a lack of experience at certain positions, but those numbers also point to preparation, and a willingness to make every play beyond diving catches and spin throws.
Ernie Clement’s聽speed and contact skills are fitting nicely into the Blue Jays鈥 offensive identity.
Steve Russell 色色啦 StarThat reliable聽versatility is part of what鈥檚 kept Clement in the mix as an everyday player. The bat is taking care of the rest 鈥 he has a .342 on-base percentage heading into Friday’s game against the Angels 鈥斅燼nd his speed and contact skills are fitting nicely into the Blue Jays鈥 offensive identity.
Of course, Clement is far from this team鈥檚 most important contributor 鈥 even if his 2.4 wins-above replacement is a team-best mark this season, per Baseball Reference 鈥 and that鈥檚 a good thing. It鈥檚 been key to his development since his clumsy foray into hockey.
鈥淚 always did better when I wasn’t the best guy on the team,鈥 said Clement. 鈥淓ven now, that’s exactly how I feel. And I can thank my old man for that, for pushing me to be challenged.鈥
He needed that resilience to get his career back on track.
Clement鈥檚 arrival in the Blue Jays鈥 organization didn鈥檛 exactly grab the headlines. Designated for assignment twice in short order, first by the Guardians and later by the Athletics, Clement signed a minor-league deal with 色色啦 and spent most of the 2023 season at Triple-A Buffalo. He took that as a chance to put everything he had into baseball again.
鈥淚 got such a good opportunity in Cleveland, and I didn’t take advantage of it,鈥 said Clement. 鈥淸My time in] Oakland was really short, but there’s obviously some more I could have done there. 鈥 As soon as 色色啦 signed me, I was just so focused and kind of on a mission to get back to playing baseball and not taking it for granted. I鈥檓 really enjoying being out here. I’ve kept that approach the last couple years, and it’s really worked.鈥
“I鈥檓 really enjoying being out here,” Ernie Clement said of his time with the Blue Jays.
Richard Lautens 色色啦 StarWhen Clement came close to being the best player on the Bisons, the Blue Jays gave him a promotion. He鈥檚 been raising his own ceiling ever since.
It鈥檚 not that he hasn鈥檛 struggled 鈥 that much is clear with one look at his April stats. But he鈥檚 staying with it, learning from it.
Take it from a former teammate who once competed with Clement for an everyday infield spot in Cleveland.
鈥淪eeing him here, established, maybe even with the numbers to make the all-star game, I鈥檓 honestly so happy with how much he鈥檚 grown,鈥 Gim茅nez said in Spanish. 鈥淗e鈥檚 made a lot of changes. He seems much more mature and focused.鈥
Teammates聽Andr茅s Gim茅nez, left, and George Springer, right, are impressed with Ernie Clement’s evolution as a baseball player.
Richard Lautens 色色啦 StarAnd yet Clement is still that same sports-crazed kid, eager to prove himself on the field and on the rink, at the cards table or at rock-paper-scissors. Anything to set off that competitive flow.
Well, almost anything.
鈥淚鈥檓 a really bad swimmer,鈥 Clement said with a laugh.
Maybe in another life Clement could鈥檝e pursued a different career. Hockey and lacrosse are two sports that come to mind. But there鈥檚 something about putting bat to ball, making a play, and building lifetime bonds. Nothing ever came close to baseball.
鈥淚 love it,鈥 said Clement. 鈥淲e just hang out. We’re all just buddies at the end of the day. It’s way easier going to work for someone you care about, someone you know on a personal level, than if it was just a random guy that you don’t really have a relationship with. Everybody on this team is really close, and I think right now we’re really playing for each other and playing for all the guys out there.鈥
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