Unsung Hero Has Been Biggest Success for Toronto Blue Jays This Season

As the Toronto Blue Jays seek to clinch the American League East, the team must be very pleased with how things are going of late. Despite a little scare, the Blue Jays now appear to be hitting their stride at the right time. 

While it is just a matter of time before the Blue Jays clinch the AL East, they will also have their eyes set on trying to get home-field advantage in the AL Playoffs. With the Detroit Tigers not playing great, the opportunity is there for the taking. The road to the World Series could certainly go through Toronto. 

Coming into the year, the Blue Jays were expected to be a better team, but they have exceeded all expectations. Fortunately, they have had some strong bounce-back campaigns from players like Bo Bichette and George Springer. However, while their stars have done well, they have also had some surprise players develop and step up as well. 

While it is easy to look at the stars being the reason why the team has been so successful, a great MLB team is only as good as their depth. Bradford Doolittle of ESPN recently wrote about the biggest success for the Blue Jays this season being their super utility man, Ernie Clement. 

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After having his breakout year in 2024, the 29-year-old has been able to duplicate that success and build on it a bit as well. Due to some injuries this season, Clement has provided a lot of value with his ability to play multiple positions. 

So far this campaign, he has started games at all of the infield positions besides catcher. Most of his work has come at third base for the Blue Jays, but the ability to help wherever it’s needed has been great for the franchise. 

While the defensive versatility has been great, Clement has also been productive at the plate. So far this season, he has slashed .277/.313/.399 with nine home runs and 46 RBI. Even though he might not be the most prolific hitter, he is a solid all-around player. 

Clement is never going to be a star, but with a 3.7 bWAR this year, he has been really important for the Blue Jays. With the injury to Bo Bichette being somewhat of a concern heading down the stretch, the team is lucky to have a player like Clement that they can play at shortstop. Overall, while he might not be the biggest star on the team, he has been the biggest success.