logo
Blue Jays: How Ernie Clement stacks up against other nominees for Gold Glove at third base
alt
Photo credit: © Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Oct 22, 2025, 10:00 EDTUpdated: Oct 22, 2025, 02:45 EDT
Comments
For the second consecutive season, Ernie Clement has been nominated for the American League Gold Glove at third base.
Last season, the Toronto Blue Jays third baseman finished as a runner-up for the award, as then Houston Astro Alex Bregman took home the award before signing a contract with the Boston Red Sox. This season, Clement is up Maikel García of the Kansas City Royals and José Ramírez of the Cleveland Guardians.
Let’s see how Clement stacks up against his competition for the award!

Clement’s numbers

Watching Clement grow from an AAAA player with limited power to one of the key players in this postseason run has been nothing short of special. A big reason why he’s in the lineup every day is because of his strong defence on the dirt.
In his first full big league season, 2024, Clement posted 9 Defensive Runs Saved and three outs above average in 661 innings at the hot corner. Bregman ended up winning the award, as he had 6 DRS and 8 OAA in significantly more innings at third base (1234.2). As is the case this season, Ramírez was the other nominee.
Clement had an even stronger year defensively at third base in 2025. In 603 innings caught, Clement finished with 11 DRS and 6 OAA. Among players with 600 or more innings at the position, Clement finished fourth in MLB for DRS and tied for third for OAA. Strictly in the American League, Clement’s DRS ranked second, and his OAA was also tied for second.
What’s more impressive is how quickly his accumulating stats rose despite playing just over 600 innings. The three players with a higher DRS all played 1,000 or more innings at the hot corner. That said, innings at the position are a big determining factor for who wins the Gold Glove.
It’s worth noting that the third base Gold Glove isn’t the only Gold Glove Clement is nominated for, as he’s also a finalist to win the utility Gold Glove in the American League. If he were to win both, he’d become just the fourth player to win the Gold Glove at two positions, and the first to win two in the same season.
Let’s take a look at his competition for the award.

García and Ramírez’s numbers

Ramírez has been nominated for a Gold Glove plenty of times, but it doesn’t seem likely he’ll win it. In 1145.2 innings, Ramírez had 0 DRS and 6 OAA for the Guardians. It was a good season for the 33-year-old, but his numbers aren’t nearly as good as Clement’s and García’s.
Speaking of García, he was the one American League player with more DRS and OAA than Clement is going to win it. This season, García finished with 13 DRS, second-best in MLB, and 18 OAA, second-best in MLB. The only player in MLB with better defensive stats was Ke’Bryan Hayes, who’ll surely win the National League Gold Glove.
This year’s AL Third Base Gold Glove is García’s to lose, barring a massive upset. That said, don’t be surprised if Clement takes home some hardware when the season concludes, but more on that in another article in the future.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, Oilersnation, and FlamesNation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

Featured

Editorials

Breaking News