Forgotten Guardians infielder's star turn continues with WBC nod for Team USA

While Ernie Clement became a clubhouse (and fan) favorite during his time in Cleveland, he never was able to put it together on the diamond. 

That lack of onfield production eventually led to the Guardians cutting Clement loose at the end of the 2022 season, where he seemed destined to have a journeyman career. 

And then he joined the Blue Jays.

After being a serviceable player for the Blue Jays in 2023 and 2024, Clement turned into a full-blown star last season, as he hit .277 in 157 regular season games for the Blue Jays while providing Gold Glove defense before posting a stellar .411 batting average in 18 postseason games. 

And now he’s going to get another chance to show out on the national stage, as USA Baseball announced on Tuesday that Clement is set to play for Team USA at this year’s World Baseball Classic. 

Former Guardian Erie Clement is set to play for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic

While Clement may seem like an odd pick at face value given he doesn’t have the star power of someone like Paul Skenes or Byrce Harper, he’s an incredibly useful baseball player who will fill an obvious need on Team USA’s star-studded roster. 

Though he spent most of the 2025 season at third base for Toronto, he can bounce all around the diamond while providing some of MLB’s best bat -to-ball skills. Couple that with a sprint speed in the 83rd percentile, and he’s got everything needed to be a late-game hero for the Americans. 

Although Clement’s exceptional contact skills were always his calling card during his six seasons in the Guardians’ system, he never really got a chance to prove himself on the big league level. 

He ended up hitting .214 in 103 big league games with the Guardians before being outrighted off the roster. He finished the season with Oakland (and was on deck when Stephen Vogt hit his final MLB home run), and signed a minor league contract with the Blue Jays.

He made his debut for the Blue Jays at the end of the ‘23 season and hit .380 in 39 games, which set up his current star turn. 

Clement’s postseason was the stuff of legend, as he recorded hits in 16 of the 18 games he played in while also picking up 30 hits (a new single-postseason record). He went 12-for-31 in the World Series and also set a single-postseason record with 10 multi-hit games. 

While the Blue Jays lineup was anchored by studs like Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and George Springer, Clement was arguably the biggest star of them all. 

He’s joining a stacked American squad that’s going to feature Aaron Judge, Cal Raleigh, Bobby Witt Jr., Byron Buxton and others. They’ll begin play on March 6 against Brazil at Daikin Park in Houston.