Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Ernie Clement reacted after he was named to be the American League’s starting 2B in the 2026 All-Star Game.
By accumulating 3,232,932 fan votes for the All-Star Game, Clement earned an automatic spot on the AL All-Star team since he had the most votes of any player in the American League. In the National League, Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani earned the most votes and a starting spot as the NL’s DH.
Ernie Clement Reacts to All-Star Game Nod
Taking to his social media in the days after the big news was announced, Clement shared his humble reaction to being named the AL’s All-Star starter at second base.
“Honored. Thank you for all the support!” Clement wrote on Instagram.
Ernie Clement is a Fan Favorite
Clement is a late bloomer in the MLB, having not really broken out until the last few years, having posted 3.3 bWAR and 4.3 bWAR in 2024 and 2025, respectively, after being essentially a replacement-level player the first three seasons in his MLB career.
Last postseason, Clement set the MLB record for most hits in a single postseason with 30 as the Blue Jays made a deep postseason run, ultimately coming up short in seven games to the Dodgers.
Not only is Clement a great hitter, but he has also been lauded for his defense at several different infield positions. It also doesn’t hurt that he plays the game with a boyish charm.
No wonder he’s a fan favorite.
This year, Clement is hitting .297 with a .756 OPS and a 104 OPS+ for the Blue Jays. He also leads the AL with 20 doubles this season, and he has racked up 1.0 bWAR so far this year.
Canada loves Clement, and the fans obviously stuffed the ballot boxes to make sure he was going to start the All-Star game this year. While there are clearly more deserving players in the AL who should have had the most votes based on their numbers this season, none of them have an entire country behind them as Clement does, and that’s why he will be the AL starter at 2B in the All-Star Game.
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Ernie Clement Reacts After Being Named AL All-Star Starter at 2B appeared first on HEAVY.