Strong camp lifting Clement above crowded competition

DUNEDIN, FLA. -- Ernie Clement doesn’t miss. Not yet, at least.

Clement has swung the bat 29 times this spring without a whiff. He just homered on back-to-back days against the Orioles' Corbin Burnes and the Rays' Zach Elfin, two presumed Opening Day starters in a stacked American League East. He has gone from participant to headliner in a crowded competition for bench roles with Toronto, catching fire at the best possible time.

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There’s nothing complicated happening here. Clement came in early, got a head start and is finally getting a shot to show the talent he has believed in all along.

“It’s really cool because this doesn’t necessarily feel like a competition,” Clement said. “We’re all pulling for each other. We’ve all gotten really close over the last year. I just want to see them do well. It’s really cool to feel them rooting for me, too. It doesn’t feel like a competition. These guys are just the best. We all just want the best for each other.”

Last season, The Buffalo Boys arrived from Triple-A to help during the stretch run. Davis Schneider was the surprise star, but Clement hit .380 over 52 plate appearances, somehow doing so quietly. Those two now live with Spencer Horwitz for the spring, and while Schneider is the “dad” of the group, Clement has his role.

“I kind of just hang out and make fun of them, then they give me rides to the field,” Clement said. “I don’t really know what I bring other than that, besides the vibes and hitching a ride with them every once in a while. It’s been a blast. We play a lot of board games to pass the time.”

This is such a unique group, but the realities remain. There’s a game of musical chairs happening in Dunedin, and when the music stops, not everyone will get a seat.

When there’s so much depth in one place, a player needs to offer something more than just “a little bit of everything.” The Blue Jays need to maximize their lineup and improve their potential ceiling in 2024, not just strengthen their floor. It’s about standing out for one or two specific reasons, showing the organization why you can help the team win, not just stay afloat.

“His thing is elite contact skills,” said manager John Schneider. “He did it last year without playing for 10 days, then he’d go in and put together a good at-bat. That’s his thing. The added part of his game has been driving the ball with a bit more consistency. When you think of him, you think about contact and defensive versatility.”

The other big factor here? Clement, at 27, is out of options.

Schneider has options, and so does Santiago Espinal. The tie often goes to the player with no options remaining, in the name of asset management. But if that player is also one of the hottest hitters in camp? It’s a compelling case.

“I understand where I’m at, and I understand where the team’s at,” Clement said. “They have a lot of difficult decisions to make. I’m just thankful they gave me an opportunity last year and brought me here. They played me every day in Triple-A, and they gave me a really cool opportunity. I’m grateful. They got me back into the swing of things. The last couple of years before that, I hadn’t been playing great baseball and I hadn’t been playing a lot.”

That’s what Clement wants to do. He wants to play, and he wants to hit. It’s all he has done this spring, and while there’s still a home stretch left for these players to separate themselves, these early weeks have gone as well as they possibly could have for Clement.

Clement should be a big leaguer this season. It’s just a matter of where.

“I want to be here,” Clement said. “The guys here are awesome. I want to be here.”