Blue Jays’ Most Valuable Utility Player Could Be Even Better at One Position
In this story:
We are in an era of baseball where metrics are becoming increasingly powerful for analyzing or projecting a player’s value in the game, but I still feel that there are many players capable of adding value that metrics cannot calculate.
Ernie Clement is a good example of that. In 2026, he made his first All-Star team and was the most-voted player, and if I had to choose that player on each team, my choice for the Toronto Blue Jays would be the versatile infielder.
There are a couple of reasons that lead me to think of Clement, although Myles Straw is another of my choices when it comes to useful players. First, Clement has become an everyday player, accumulating 437 games played over the last three seasons. Toronto has had only three players with more than 400 games played in that span, and the only one who surpasses Clement is Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who has accumulated 459 games played. George Springer appears behind Clement with 411.
However, and this is where I wanted to get to, Guerrero Jr. plays under a very different situation than Clement, who often has to make adjustments to move from his position and fill some gap on the Blue Jays’ defense. In 2026, Clement appeared at three different positions, with participation at second base, third base, and shortstop. But if we extend the span to the last three seasons, he also appears as a first baseman and left fielder.
Since 2024 to date, no Toronto player has played more defensive innings than Clement, who has accumulated 3,595 innings at those five positions combined. Isiah Kiner-Falefa is the only one who also saw action at four different positions, recording 273 innings at second base, 335 at third, 107 at shortstop, and one inning in center field.
Now, what makes Clement even more valuable is his performance and the way he adjusts not only to provide roster flexibility, but also positive value in his defensive contribution.
This summary belongs to the combined span between 2024 and 2026, with all players who played at least 1,000 innings with Toronto, ordered by the best Fielding Run Value records. As you can see, Alejandro Kirk leads all of the Jays’ defense, followed by Daulton Varsho, who is no longer part of the team since he was traded to the Houston Astros at the trade deadline, and Andres Gimenez, the best player in the infield.
Then comes Clement, adding highly appreciable value, because he is the only one of all of them who has had to deal with the constant changes to other positions. By the way, George Springer and Bo Bichette left the team’s worst FRV records in this span.
How much can Clement’s contribution improve if he gets more playing time at one position?
When Texas Rangers infielder Josh Smith arrived in Toronto, the first thing I thought about was the defensive depth that his presence could offer thinking a little longer term. It could be Smith or another infielder with his skills, quite similar to Clement’s, who could contribute as a utility player. The point here is that this would give Clement the possibility of getting more playing time at second base, while Gimenez remains the regular shortstop, a duo that would add high defensive value to Toronto’s infield.
The defensive move would be much better if Clement played third base, since that is where he has had his best defensive records with +8 FRV since 2024, but we know that position already has an owner, Japanese player Kazuma Okamoto. I also would not be surprised if the Jays at some point begin to project Okamoto toward another position, since he finished his rookie season with –2 FRV, –2 in Range and –1 in In. DP in the 1,228 innings he played at third base.
In any case, what the Blue Jays are closest to doing is keeping Okamoto at third and Clement at second, where he also had a positive contribution with +4 FRV. We still do not know what interest the Jays have in Smith, but it will be key that they find a player with his ability, who can provide experience and defensive depth in the infield.
That would be the key to a key step for the Blue Jays, which is to keep Clement as the starting second baseman for as long as possible, where he posted an 88 wRC+ in 2026. I understand that Clement was the most affordable player to fill Toronto’s defensive holes, but his performance was greatly affected when he had to take over as the starter for several games at other positions. His OPS fell from .677—a fairly similar average to the .685 of his best season in 2025—to just .569 when he played third base, and .581 once he appeared at shortstop.
I have no doubts that Toronto has valued Clement’s great effort, but as long as the defense continues to suffer from this lack of depth, then his offense could be affected and, in the end, the balance of the team also suffers from those drops in his performance.
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Yirsandy is a baseball writer specializing in MLB coverage with experience across multiple teams and storylines. He currently writes for Diamond Centric, where he covers the New York Mets, San Diego Padres, Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers, and Kansas City Royals. My work focuses on game coverage, player analysis, and storytelling that connects performance with context. My Substack has also been an important part of my writing development, where I’ve built much of my baseball coverage and storytelling voice over time. I’m passionate about combining reporting, research, and thoughtful analysis to produce engaging baseball content for readers.
Follow Yirsandy