Ernie Clement was already Rochester’s favorite baseball player. The rest of the continent has caught on.
The Brighton native who became a postseason hero for the Toronto Blue Jays last fall is on the verge of adding another title: MLB All-Star starter.
Clement leads all American League players with 2,054,130 votes in the latest Major League Baseball All-Star Game voting update, putting him ahead of some of the sport’s biggest stars including Aaron Judge, Mike Trout and Yordan Alvarez.
The only player in baseball with more votes is Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani.
If Clement remains the American League’s leading vote-getter when the first phase of voting ends at noon Thursday, he will automatically earn a starting spot in the 2026 MLB All-Star Game on July 14 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.
Brighton native Ernie Clement could make first MLB All-Star Game
The All-Star surge is the latest chapter in a remarkable rise for the 30-year-old infielder.
Clement, a 20`14 Brighton High School graduate, was drafted by Cleveland in 2017 and made his major league debut with the Guardians in 2021. He was claimed off waivers by the Oakland Athletics in 2022 before signing a minor league deal with Toronto in 2023.
He has since gone from fighting for a roster spot to potentially starting an All-Star Game alongside the biggest names in baseball.
Clement is batting .293 with seven home runs, 28 RBIs and an American League-leading 20 doubles this season. He has a commanding lead among second basemen, with Texas Rangers infielder Ezequiel Duran second at the position with 531,182 votes.
A little help from his adopted baseball country hasn’t hurt.
Blue Jays fans have helped push Clement to the top of the ballot after embracing him during last year’s World Series run.
Clement set a Major League Baseball postseason record with 30 hits and batted .411 as Toronto came within one win of a championship. He became just the fourth player born in the Rochester area to appear in a World Series and the first since 1954.
Clement was also a finalist for Gold Glove awards at third base and as a utility player last season and won a silver medal with Team USA during the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
Now he could add All-Star starter to the list.
The player Rochester celebrated in October might have another celebration coming. This time as a Major League Baseball All-Star.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Blue Jays star and Brighton native leads AL in MLB All-Star voting
Reporting by Ryan Miller, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Ryan Miller, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle | USA TODAY Network
