Inaspect the evolution of Blue Jays’ Ernie Clement and his ‘elite confidence’

TORONTO — Ernie Clement stood out amongst a gaggle of Toronto Blue Jays lined up in left discipline forward of batting apply. As gamers started to heat up, it was noticeable that he was the one one not sporting a hockey sweater. 

With Monday being Clement’s reproduction jersey giveaway evening at Rogers Centre, teammates donned his No. 22 in a homage that touched the infielder.

“It means a lot to see all the boys rocking the jersey and getting into the hockey spirit,” Clement stated minutes later whereas sitting contained in the Blue Jays’ dugout.     

This is the primary time in Clement’s profession {that a} crew’s promotional giveaway has centred round him, and the 30-year-old will rapidly admit that he “never thought I’d have one.” 

In some ways, although, the jersey is an emblem of the brand new stage of stardom that Clement has reached. 

Massive, unprecedented lineups snaked round Rogers Centre greater than 5 hours earlier than the 7:07 p.m. ET first pitch and the throng of followers was so giant that stadium officers determined to open the gates quarter-hour early. The clothes had been reserved for the primary 15,000 and had been finally doled out quicker than any promotional merchandise this season, in keeping with a Blue Jays spokesperson.  

While a hockey jersey giveaway is a surefire strategy to drum up curiosity, the hoopla on Monday served to underline simply how beloved Clement has change into among the many crew’s fan base. 

“He gets a very loud ovation every day when they announce his name and he’s earned it,” stated Blue Jays supervisor John Schneider. “I think the way he plays is very relatable to a lot of people. He just plays hard.”

Clement was famously launched by the Athletics forward of the 2023 marketing campaign and after signing with the Blue Jays that 12 months, he rapidly endeared himself to followers along with his buoyant character and enjoying type. He additional cemented his popularity — and constructed a brand new one within the bigger baseball panorama — along with his historic 2025 post-season during which he collected a record-setting 30 hits. 

And whereas no person would have predicted Clement would replicate that sort of success, he is come shut within the opening month of this season. Even although he went hitless in Monday’s 5-0 loss to the Boston Red Sox, Clement’s 13 doubles are tied for first in MLB, whereas his 36 hits are tied for third. 

“His confidence and the belief in himself,” stated Blue Jays hitting coach David Popkins. “The way he walks, the way he works, everything is showing elite confidence and when he’s confident, he’s a very tough guy to get out.”

Popkins makes positive to make clear that such confidence has all the time been there for Clement. It’s not prefer it simply sprung up out of nowhere. The October stage, although, watered and nurtured it. 

“I think (the playoffs) probably revealed it a little more and confirmed it for him of how good he really is,” stated Popkins. “He always had belief in himself, how good he was, how special his bat was. And I think that just confirmed it even more for him and kind of was like, ‘Ah, see I told you so.’” 

Clement’s swing mechanics are fairly easy. He would not complicate or overanalyze them and maintains just a few packing containers he likes to examine, along with his set-up posture being one among them. That’s helped him “avoid the valleys,” notes Popkins, who provides that Clement’s distinctive plate protection is just like that of three-time batting champ Jose Altuve. 

Both have the power to barrel pitches not solely within the 4 quadrants but in addition outdoors of the strike zone. 

“It’s scary for a pitcher because you know you want to throw the ball below the zone, but if it’s not bouncing in the dirt, (Clement’s) probably going to hit it,” stated Popkins. “So, I think his creativity and adjustability is what makes it so tough to get him out.” 

Clement hit .245 final 12 months in opposition to breaking pitches, which he noticed 34.7 per cent of the time. This season, he is being fed a steadier dose of breaking pitches (37.9 per cent) and has clearly adjusted, hitting .390. Additionally, he stays one of many hardest gamers to strike out within the sport with a 99th-percentile Okay fee. 

All of that leads Schneider to imagine that Clement is constant to evolve. 

“We all know he’s a pretty aggressive swinger, but I think he’s getting a better feel for what he should offer at,” stated the supervisor. “It’s nearly on the level the place you are type of stunned when he strikes out, when he swings and misses, actually. He’s received such a singular means to regulate up, down, in, out.

“He’s one of those guys who finds hits.”

Clement credit Schneider and the Blue Jays’ teaching employees for permitting him to embrace his strengths and primarily be himself. In flip, that is afforded him the liberty to deploy an ultra-aggressive strategy on the plate. 

There are occasions the place he’ll swing on the first pitch of an at-bat and floor out weakly. Yet, there are different occasions the place he’ll lace an outside-the-zone slider into the hole. The Blue Jays are prepared to dwell with the previous to obtain the latter. 

“Now I’ve just got a ton of opportunity and I’m taking advantage,” stated Clement. “When I was in Cleveland, I didn’t lean into my strengths. Obviously, you’re always trying to get better, but I was just a little bit more passive. I was trying to maybe get a couple more homers and that’s just not my game. So, I’ve fully changed my approach and just found what works.”

Clement’s relationship with hockey is well-documented. The Rochester, N.Y., native had a few dozen members from his low season Thursday afternoon hockey crew in attendance on Monday. Those are among the many folks in his internal circle and that choose group issues enormously to Clement.  

When discussing his newfound stage of fame, Clement bristles in opposition to calling himself a star. 

“I don’t know about that,” he stated. “Honestly, I present up and I really like the sport of baseball, and I’m actually fortunate that I get to do that each single day. I’ve my individuals who I really like very a lot and really feel expensive to me and, so long as I’ve them, that is all I actually care about. 

“The fact that I get to play a game for a living is the coolest thing in the world. So, I don’t know if you’d call it stardom. I feel like I’m just a pretty normal guy who loves the game of baseball. And I’m just really lucky and blessed to be able to do what I love every single day.”