Ernie Clement’s All-Star Season Still Reflects Blue Jays’ Bigger Issue

Ernie Clement becoming an All-Star starter is one of the better individual stories of the Toronto Blue Jays’ season. It is also a reminder of how complicated this roster has been.

Clement earned his spot by giving Toronto a steady offensive presence in a year when the lineup has often lacked one. He is not a major power threat, but he has been more than competent at the plate.

Clement entered the break slashing .296/.318/.433 with eight home runs and 32 RBI, and his ability to put the bat on the ball has remained his defining skill. According to Baseball Savant, he had struck out just 35 times with a 9.4% strikeout rate. Having a player who does not beat himself and can consistently put the ball in play is something any team can use.

However, his season has not been without flaws. For as much as his bat has helped stabilize the Blue Jays, his defense has become much less dependable.

Clement’s Defense Has Become A Serious Question

Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Ernie Clement (22) flips his bat after hitting a two-run home run. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Last year, Clement was one of the best defensive players in baseball. He won the Fielding Bible Award as a multi-position defender after tying for the Major League lead with 22 Defensive Runs Saved. This rare ability to be an elite defender at two positions solidified Clement as one of the most valuable players in baseball.

This year, the Statcast numbers have moved in the opposite direction. Baseball Savant has Clement at -4 fielding run value, placing him in the 14th percentile overall. That is a sharp decline from last year, when his 10 fielding run value at second base put him in the 92nd percentile leaguewide.

The decline does not mean Clement suddenly forgot how to play defense. Some of it has come from bobbled balls that he normally handles, and some of it reflects a larger limitation. Clement has excellent footwork and instincts, but he is not a middle infielder with huge range. When the routine plays become less automatic, that lack of elite range becomes more noticeable.

That is where Clement’s season starts to mirror Toronto’s. The Blue Jays have had stretches where they look like the team that reached the World Series last year, then others where one part of the roster falls behind as another improves. Clement has followed a similar pattern. The bat has given Toronto stability, but the defense has not matched the standard he set a year ago.

Overall, Clement’s All-Star season is a great achievement, but it is also incomplete, and that makes it a fitting snapshot of the Blue Jays’ uneven first half.

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