The similarities between Ernie Clement of the Toronto Blue Jays and Hall of Famer Robert Clemente are striking. Both are listed at 5′ 11″ and weigh in the 170-pound range. Both were right-handed batters. Both didn’t exhibit robust power early on, but have never had a strikeout rate close to 20%. Both….Ok, I’ll stop now. To those that didn’t click X after the first sentence, I salute you. Thank you for your service. That said, Clement has had utility this season and, against left-handed pitching, he has been Hall of Fame-esque. Let’s dig in.
Ernie Clement is 29 years old and was selected by the Cleveland Indians in the fourth round of the 2017 MLB draft. He made it to The Show in 2021 for 133 plate appearances, then was designated for assignment the following year. Clement was claimed off waivers by the Oakland Athletics, released half a year later, and was signed to a contract by the Toronto Blue Jays.
Throughout his minor league career, the walk rate was in the six to nine percent range, and the ISO was sub-.100. The strikeout rate was sub-10% for much of the early career, but rose into the teens later. He never hit more than four home runs in a season with Cleveland, but did rack up double-digit steals three times.
Once he arrived in Toronto, the strikeout rate went back below 10% but the ISO did increase. In 320 plate appearances in Triple-A, Clement posted a .195 ISO, translating to 11 home runs. Last season, in 452 MLB plate appearances, the ISO was .145, and he finished with 12 home runs and 12 stolen bases.
In 298 plate appearances this season, he’s hit four home runs, scored 41 runs, driven in 24, and stolen three bases. The walk rate is 6.4%, strikeout rate is 10.4% and the ISO is .107. Clement is slashing .305/.349/.412 with a .329 BABIP.
The Statcast numbers aren’t great, as the average exit velocity is 86.6 mph, barrel rate is 2% and hard hit rate is 25.5%. The bat speed of 67.1 mph is in the fifth percentile.
While the swinging strike rate is only 7.2%, the chase rate is 35.8%, good for 15th-highest in MLB. In the prior two seasons, that number was well over 40%.
Now for the good.
The multi-eligibility of 1B, 2B, 3B, and SS is very nice. But it’s his work against left-handed pitching that is chef’s kiss. The sample size is small, but in 97 plate appearances against left-handed pitching, Ernie Clement is slashing .402/.448/.667 with a .264 ISO and 211 wRC+! All four of his home runs have come against lefties.
Against right-handed pitching, Clement is slashing .259/.302/.292 with a .032 ISO.
Three of his home runs have been hit since May 29th. Over that span, he’s slashed .385/.425/.547 with a .162 ISO and 5.5% strikeout rate. The average exit velocity is only 86.3 mph, though, and the BABIP is an elevated .389.
Over the next eight days, the Blue Jays are scheduled to only face one left-handed pitcher.
I like Ernie Clement, but only as a streamer against left-handed pitching.
