Blue Jays Utility Man Provides 2026 Preview in Blowout Team USA Victory
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The World Baseball Classic is here, and Team USA is demolishing its opponents, outscoring them by a margin of 24-6 in the first two outings. The team that has been assembled is arguably one of the greatest that fans have seen in recent memory, and the Toronto Blue Jays utility man is a member.
Ernie Clement is one of the better players who can rotate wherever a team needs him. Clement rotates around the infield and sometimes into the outfield with no issue. Right now, he is playing second base for his home country.
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The rising star put everyone on notice as he quietly broke MLB playoff records throughout the Blue Jays' run in 2025, and now he is keeping that momentum going with his performances at the WBC.
Keep Barking 🗣️
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) March 8, 2026
Ern's first hit, first steal and second run of the night! #WorldBaseballClassic pic.twitter.com/EYbM5APVzb
In their second game of the tournament against Great Britain, the US went on a 9-0 run with a big fifth inning where they scored more than half of their runs. By the time the game was over, Clement had scored three of the nine runs, drew a walk, stolen a base, and hit a single.
Team USA is now 2-0 in the tournament and is ready to take on Team Mexico on March 9th, led by reigning National League Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes.
Monstrous 2026 Coming For Clement
If Clement ends up looking half as good as he did during his 18 games in October, then he will emerge as one of the best all-around offensive weapons in baseball, not just for the Blue Jays. He competed with the best of the best throughout the postseason as one of the greatest on any of the teams in the playoffs.
To say Clement stepped up in a big way for Toronto during their best season in 32 years would be quite the understatement, as he broke a few records in MLB postseason history after finishing the final game going 3-for-5.
- Most Multi-Hit Games (10)
- Most Hits (30)
- Most Singles (21)
The postseason may be over, but Clement showed that his ceiling is no longer existent.
HISTORY: Ernie Clement now has the most hits in a single #Postseason in baseball history 🤯 pic.twitter.com/Iq749bGEu2
— MLB (@MLB) November 2, 2025
The soon-to-be 30-year-old has found a home in Toronto, and just finished the best full season in his young career. Clement was passed around from the Guardians to the Athletics and now to the Blue Jays, but it is in Canada that he has found his stride.
Spring training has been exceptional for Clement as he is batting .500 in the five games that he has played to complement an OPS over 1.300 with a slugging percentage of .800.
If anybody wants to bet on a player that is still considered an underdog, Clement is the guy. He is helping Team USA win, and he will do the same for Toronto when Opening Day comes around on the final Friday of March.
Maddy Dickens resides in Loveland, Colorado. She grew up with two older brothers, where their lives revolved around sports. She earned a master's degree in business management from Tarleton State University while simultaneously playing basketball and competing in rodeo at the collegiate level. She successfully parlayed a reserve national championship into a professional rodeo career and now stays involved in upper-level athletics by writing for On SI on several different MLB teams' pages, along with some NCAA sites.