Virginia baseball alum earns the most MLB All-Star votes in American League

Ernie Clement will start at second base in Philadelphia

Jun 25, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Ernie Clement (22) hits a single against the Texas Rangers during the ninth inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

It is official. Former Virginia Cavalier Ernie Clement will be the American League’s starting second baseman in the 2026 MLB All-Star Game. Clement earned the most votes of any player in the AL, so he is entrenched as an automatic starter before the final voting even begins.

Clement has starred for the Toronto Blue Jays, as he currently leads the AL with 20 doubles. Clement is currently slashing .294/.315/.438 while having appeared in 66 games at second base, eight at third base, and 16 in left field.

No Cavalier has ever led a league in All-Star votes. Clement received more votes than every other player in the AL — Shohei Ohtani earned the same honor as designated hitter for the National League. As a result, Clement is Virginia’s first All-Star starter since Ryan Zimmerman earned the honors at first base for the Washington Nationals in 2017.

Clement’s 88 hits rank third in the AL, only behind Yandy Diaz of the Tampa Bay Rays (95) and Yordan Alvarez of the Houston Astros (94). Just three players in the AL have a higher batting average than Clement’s .294 mark — Diaz (.331), Alvarez (.318) and Josh Jung of the Texas Rangers (.296). 

The statistics recorded by Clement are especially impressive given that Toronto has played the eighth-hardest schedule in MLB according to the MLB Relative Power Index. For context, the Astros have played the easiest schedule, the Rangers have had the sixth-easiest and the Rays have faced the 12th-easiest. 

Of MLB players with at least 250 at-bats so far this season, Clement ranks ninth in maximum exit velocity (109.7 miles per hour), plus 14th in hard-hit percentage (12.3) and barrels (seven). Clement is consistently hitting the ball hard, which has translated to his strong season at the plate.

He has been breaking out as a star for some time. In 2025, Clement clubbed an MLB-record 30 hits in a postseason as the Blue Jays reached the final game of the World Series. Clement also received two Gold Glove Award nominations last season.

The 2026 MLB All-Star Game will be played July 14 in Philadelphia, two days after the conclusion of the MLB Draft, where multiple Cavaliers are projected to be drafted. To determine the other starters alongside Clement, finalist voting begins at noon Monday (June 29) and concludes at noon Thursday. Anyone can vote once per day at mlb.com/vote. The nine position players are selected via fan vote on MLB sites.