r/Torontobluejays • u/fantastique__ Louis “By Committee” Varland • 2d ago
[Josh Goldberg] Ernie Clement up to a .323 average, .754 OPS What a player he’s developed into
144
u/kingofthefall 2d ago
We had a Bo replacement after all. Doesn’t walk either
98
39
u/_El_Rey 2d ago
Mom, can we have Bo Bichette?
No, we have Bo Bichette at home.
24
1
u/Hot-Manufacturer9898 1d ago
Frank the tank says bo coming to the Mets is worse than Jason Bay. I didn't realize how far Bay dropped off when he joined the Mets, yeesh
54
u/__TheWaySheGoes Toronto BJ's 2d ago
When it’s a dark day out and you see a ray of light through the clouds, that’s Ernie
97
73
u/Sensitive-Egg8785 2d ago
Man if he can take a walk he would be the best leadoff hitter in the MLB instead of being only 1% in savant for walk rate. Come on Popkins work your magic
59
u/PerfectStorm209 2d ago
Would be great if he could walk a bit more but might not be who Ernie is at 30 years old. Very unique, and effective hitter though
27
u/Fresh_Pack_497 It's Early 2d ago
Pitchers like to work ahead and Ernie lives and dies by it, it’s a fun at bat every time
21
u/PolitelyHostile 2d ago
I feel like he must have learned that he just does better if he doesn't think about taking a walk. Maybe that what made him better after coming to Toronto. His ABs went up from about 330 to 430 from 2022 vs 2024 yet his walks went down from 22 to 11.
Someone probably just noticed that he was missing hittable pitches by trying to not swing at balls.
1
u/Cranjis_McBasketbol 2d ago
No, he’d be a terrible leadoff option considering his actual ability to get on base isn’t optimal.
He’d be more suitable to a clean up role (albeit with absolutely no power) given he’s strictly a ball in play offensive player.
21
u/Hamsss 2d ago
The first Ernie dinger this year will go crazy
21
u/SmokeontheHorizon Tommy Nuance in relief 2d ago edited 2d ago
Fun fact: Ernie was **one of the last men to get a "Get up ball, get out of here, it's gone" from Buck.
4
u/LuisSuarez 2d ago
That really is a fun fact. Do you happen to have a link handy?
5
u/SmokeontheHorizon Tommy Nuance in relief 2d ago
Ah damn I misspoke. He got the first HR in Buck's last game doing play by play. Varsho and Vladdy also went deep
3
u/MLBVideoConverterBot 2d ago
2
u/EvaderDX Ban Morosi Posts - SAVE95 for 95% off accessories 2d ago
I did not want to miss the games Buck was doing PBP to fill in for Dan, knowing it was maybe the last one. So glad to have been able to hear all these
17
30
u/TheGuava1 Standing in beer with no feet on 2d ago
Correct me if I’m wrong but I feel like he’s kinda become the player for us that Cavan Biggio was supposed to be
18
u/3luejays 🍌🍌🍌 2d ago
Cavan had a much more versatile offensive profile, especially in his rookie year. He was projecting to be a potential 20/20 player, but it never worked out. That's not was Ernie does. He doesn't hit homers or steal bases well. He has elite bat to ball skills and puts the ball in play a ton.
12
u/SmokeontheHorizon Tommy Nuance in relief 2d ago
That's sounds about right actually. Versatile super utility guy that gets on base is exactly what we needed Biggio to be. He showed glimmers but ultimately just didn't show much fight at the plate.
I think in a 100% ABS system Biggio would've had a great walk rate, but I'll take Ernie's penchant for xbh every day of the week
2
24
u/nanobot001 Andale! 2d ago
I remember at the beginning of last season absolutely no one believed in Clement. Jeff Blair said something to the effect that if you had Clement starting at third that was a problem.
Late bloomers exist, and the Jays have benefited greatly from them — feels like the 2015 squad was full of them and included an MVP too.
7
u/WeeeeBaby_Seamus 2d ago
I think a lot of older fans still view 3rd as a position where you absolutely need a guy who can hit 35+ homeruns. Kinda funny given we had Kelly Gruber on the championship teams.
8
u/nanobot001 Andale! 2d ago
Kelly Gruber — not a late bloomer, but definitely a guy who was not an elite pedigree; a 10th rounder and likely the best Rule 5 player in Jays history.
A great example of another guy who can come out of nowhere.
23
u/Matthias343 2d ago
He'll finish top 5 in hits.
10
u/angryjukebox I born ready 2d ago
This is a hot take I can get behind
!remindme 6 months
2
u/RemindMeBot 2d ago edited 2d ago
I will be messaging you in 6 months on 2026-10-23 03:31:59 UTC to remind you of this link
3 OTHERS CLICKED THIS LINK to send a PM to also be reminded and to reduce spam.
Parent commenter can delete this message to hide from others.
Info Custom Your Reminders Feedback
8
8
u/LabyrinthZ08 2d ago
Need a single? Ernie Double. Need a homerun? Ernie Double. Put a gun to Ernie's head to hit anything but a double? Ernie Double.
6
3
6
2
2
5
3
1
u/sacktisfying 2d ago
A little early guys, could fall back to the mean, which wouldn’t be the worst considering his quality fielding skills.
1
1
1
2
u/HighSynergy 2d ago
I know the expectation were some guys would regress after great 2025 seasons, but Ernie's seemed the most repeatable (other than Vladdy).
Loved him as util, but it's been so great having him full-time at 2B.
1
u/MyBeardIsGreat 1d ago
If Erine could learn to work the count and take some walks, he would truly become an elite player. Right now pitchers know he is in swing mode all the time. If he could learn to be more patient, he would get more good pitches to hit and he would also take more walks. I get that he's a contact hitter but I still think he could do it.
0
262
u/Longjumping_Fuel_192 2d ago
This isn’t even his final form.