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Blue Jays: How Ernie Clement’s breakout season saw him post a career-high WAR
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Photo credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
Graeme Wallace
Oct 3, 2025, 11:00 EDTUpdated: Oct 3, 2025, 08:27 EDT
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Toronto Blue Jays infielder Ernie Clement took advantage of increased playing time to produce the best season of his career in 2025.
Expected to be a casualty of an infield shakeup that saw second baseman Andrés Giménez added to the roster in a trade and the promotion of prospect Will Wagner, who was the team’s opening day third baseman, Clement continued to grind and has become one of Toronto’s most reliable players. 
Despite a regular season role throughout the 2024 season, the 29-year-old entered this year as a utility player, able to fill in at any of the four infield positions, while being best-suited at second or third base. After a hot start, Gimenez struggled mightily with his offensive production, suffered a quadriceps injury, and was placed on the IL for the first of two lengthy stents in early May. Meanwhile, Wagner failed to display the hitting prowess he showed during a one-month cameo towards the end of the 2024 campaign.
These developments gave Clement a daily role and also opened the door for Addison Barger to become a major contributor.
With regular playing time established, the former University of Virginia star was able to focus on his game and contribute to wins, which is exactly what he did, setting career highs across the board, helping the Blue Jays to their best season in a decade. Clement’s games played went from 139 in ‘24 to 157 this year, which allowed him to achieve many personal bests. His at-bats went from 434 to 545, runs scored increased nearly twofold from 48 to 83, and hits shot up to 151 from 114.
Clement’s improvement didn’t stem completely from more time on the field, as he also increased his batting average by 14 points (from .263 to .277), on-base percentage by 29 points (from .284 to .313), and his doubles went from 21 to 35, which tied for the sixth-highest in the American League. 
Already a superb defender, Clement has reached a new level this season. His dWAR went from 2.1 to a league-leading 2.9, and his Outs Above Average nearly doubled, from seven to 13, and he tied with Steven Kwan of the Cleveland Guardians with an MLB-leading 22 Defensive Runs Saved. 
All of these statistical bursts have resulted in Clement finishing with a 4.3 bWAR, a 0.9 jump from last season, and the third-best mark on the team among position players. It’s part of a career turnaround that started when the Rochester native debuted with the Jays late in the 2023 season. After being a -0.8 bWAR player in limited action over his first two seasons, Clement has earned 8.6 bWAR over the past three years.

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