Toronto Blue Jays' Ernie Clement opens up about upcoming World Baseball Classic

After being selected by Team USA to play in the WBC on Tuesday, Ernie Clement made an appearance on MLB Network on Wednesday, saying he's "psyched" to represent his country in the World Baseball Classic.

Perhaps making the moment even more special for Clement was that U.S. manager Mark DeRosa gave him the call as he was on his way to a Sabres game with some friends.

In 2025 Clement hit .277 with a .711 OPS, numbers the Blue Jays would be thrilled to see repeated in 2026.

Clement has the natural power to creep into the double digits with home runs, but his game is all about what we saw in the postseason, which is relentless at-bats and contact.

He rarely walks, but this is by design. Clement took just 27 walks in 588 plate appearances last season, the result of being a contact machine who can get to just about every pitch.

His whiff rate of 14.5% puts him in the 94th percentile of all MLB hitters, and there are only a handful of players who strike out less than Clement.

He, just as much as George Springer's resurgence in '25, was key to the formation of the Blue Jays' hitting identity.

Clement levelled up in the post-season, however, setting an MLB record for hits in a single playoff run, collecting 30 knocks for the Blue Jays.

Coming off their successful season, the Blue Jays are set to be well-represented at the WBC. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Dominican Republic), Alejandro Kirk (Mexico), Kazuma Okamoto (Japan), José Berrios (Puerto Rico), Cody Ponce (Mexico), Adam Macko (Canada), Leo Jimenez (Panama) and, of course, Clement have all either committed to play or have stated their interest in playing for their countries.

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