Indians Behind the Dream – Ernie Clement

The Cleveland Indians have the youngest team in baseball. I am showcasing each of these player’s journeys in a series called “Behind the Dream.” Each week will be another player’s story in no particular order.

Due to the absence of Minor League play in 2020 many fans are not familiar with the guys who’ve joined the Tribe. I feel that often we see a new young face in the roster and don’t know enough about how they got there. The grind to get to the Major League is difficult. Each player’s story is unique.

The Move:

The 25-year-old made his major league debut on June 13 against Seattle. Clement pinch-hit for Amed Rosario in the bottom the 9th inning. Although he struck out, he went on to get his first hit in the majors a few days later when he started at second base against the Orioles.

“It was awesome,” Clement said afterward. “I’m glad I could help the team win, that was the main focus. If it happened to be a base hit, that’s great. But any way to get it done.”

In his limited time with the club Clement has made quite an impression. The Tribe’s Skipper, Terry Francona, who once described Clement as playing “like he’s got a jet up his (rear-end) has been pleased with his base running.

Clement’s speed isn’t the only thing that has drawn attention, his defensive skills have also been on display. During the July 4th game, he played third base and turned three incredibly difficult defensive plays. 

To watch him play that day you wouldn’t know he was a rookie. He looked like an All-Star veteran that made spectacular plays look routine. After the game Brian O’Connor, University of Virginia’s Baseball Head Coach tweeted this about Clement:

“Thankful we had a front row seat for 3 years of Gold Glove plays like this at Disharoon Park.”

The Journey:

Clement grew up in Rochester, NY where he attended Brighton High School. He played baseball, ice hockey and soccer. He was twice named Rochester City Athletic Conference Player of the Year. Clement was also the league MVP during his junior and senior year.

He holds Brighton High School career record for plate appearances (329), batting average (.464), singles (87), doubles (34) and stolen bases (38). Clement also holds the single season record for his .560 batting average and 28 runs scored.

He was the team MVP twice and awarded Hopps Senior Male Athletic Achievement Award. This coveted award is given to a senior male that shows athletic ability, good character, and sportsmanship. Clement also played travel baseball with the East Coast Grays.

Clement was undrafted out of high school and he attended the University of Virginia. He played baseball for the university and had an exciting freshman year with the team. He split time playing second base and center field.

Clement hit a 2-run walk-off single in Game 2 of the NCAA Super Regional against Maryland to advance UVA to the 2015 College World Series. He helped UVA win their first national title hitting .292 in the College World Series. That was the second highest batting average on the squad. He was named to the All-College World Series Team.

As a sophomore he earned a spot on the All-Atlantic Coast Conference Third Team at second base.

Clement recorded four hit streaks of eight games or more with a college-career long 12 game hit streak. He reached 50 hits in 33 games which was the fastest since 2010.

During the summer he played in the Cape Cod Baseball League with the Harwich Mariners. Clement was named the league’s MVP hitting .353.

In 2017 Clement had a career-best 17 game hit streak. He finished at UVA with 745 at bats which was 11th in the program’s history. He struck out only 31 times during his college career.

The Cleveland Indians selected Clement in the fourth round of the 2017 MLB Draft. He made his professional debut with the Mahoning Valley Scrappers that year. He played in 45 games batting .280 with 13 RBIs.

Clement began with the Lake County Captains in 2018 nd was promoted to the Lynchburg Hillcats and then the Akron RubberDucks. He played 102 games between the three clubs. Clement batted .289 with 33 RBIs and 18 stolen bases.

In 2019 he returned to the RubberDucks to start off the season. Clement missed a month of play due to an adductor strain. He played three games for the Triple -A Columbus Clippers at the end of the year.

Clement batted .269 with 28 RBIs and 17 stolen bases over 101 games that season. He was chosen to play for the Mesa Solar Sox in the Arizona Fall League.

Due to the pandemic season cancellation Clement didn’t play in the minors. As many other minor league players, he found himself finding ways to stay focused. Without having baseball to play Clement was creative in ways to work out. He spent time at both his parent’s and grandmother’s home doing outdoor creative exercises.

The now rookie would work outside for his dad carrying and stacking wood. Clement joked about his innovative workouts with a Rochester site during the COVID shutdown “I was running in my grandmother’s backyard, just doing sprints, a couple different agility exercises and then push-ups and sit-ups. Kinda that jail yard workout.”

Golf is a game that Clement enjoys. He played many rounds while there wasn’t any minor league play. The golf fan has been playing most of his life. The game was important during the 2020 shutdown as it allowed him to still compete.

Whether it be against his buddies or in a tournament it was a way to have a sense of competition. When it was time for baseball again Clement was happy, he told reporter Billy Heyen that “I found myself playing dominoes with my grandmother and starting to chirp at her like “Oh, I’m kicking your butt now what, what you gonna do?” Clearly, he’s competitive and was ready to jump back into baseball.

The Tribe added Clement to the 40-man roster in November of 2020. He returned to the Columbus Clippers to begin the 2021 season. The 25-year-old played 20 games in Columbus before getting the call to the big leagues. He had 7 RBIs and batted .289 with two stolen bases.

Multiple injuries have plagued the Indians, and this has given Clement an opportunity to assist the team. He’s a utility player who has played outfield as well as second base, third base and shortstop for Cleveland. His love for the game shines through when he speaks of it.

He’s had to learn quickly upon reaching the big stage and that has shown the strength he has as a player and a young man. To date Clement has 39 at bats in the majors. He’s batting .205 over that span with eight hits, seven runs and one RBI.