Former Clippers second baseman Ernie Clement has some popularity.
On June 26, Major League Baseball announced that Clement, now a starter for the Toronto Blue Jays, received the most votes in Phase 1 of the All-Star Game vote of any American League player, making him an automatic starter for the mid-summer classic July 14.
The only player who had more than Clement’s 3,232,932 votes was National League designated hitter and starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani, who received 3,341,257. The top vote-getter in each league bypasses Phase 2 of voting and automatically receives a starting nod.
Clement became a starting infielder for the Blue Jays in 2024. In 2026, he is hitting .294 with a .753 OPS with seven home runs in 78 games played in the 2026 season and leads the American League in doubles. He is fourth in the American League in Wins Above Replacement.
Including Clement, seven Blue Jays players made the cut into the second phase of ASG voting, tied with the Dodgers for the most players selected.
Clement played on the Clippers for 57 games from 2019 to 2022 and made his major league debut for Cleveland on June 13, 2021. He was designated for assignment by the Guardians on Sept. 21, 2022. The Blue Jays signed Clement to a minor league deal after he was released by the Athletics.
In 2025, Clement set the record for most hits in a single postseason with 30. He accomplished the feat in 18 games, the last of which was the Blue Jays World Series Game 7 loss to the Dodgers.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ex-Columbus Clipper Ernie Clement earns most AL All Star Game votes
Reporting by Dan Aulbach, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Dan Aulbach, Columbus Dispatch | USA TODAY Network
