Ernie Clement matches Toronto Blue Jays batting average record

Brighton high school alumnus Ernie Clement recently tied for a unique Toronto Blue Jays batting average record.

Currently a second baseman on the Blue Jays’ roster, Clement’s .444 batting average is tied for the highest in the franchise’s history within a players’ first 16 games with the team, according to Sportsnet Stats. Clement ties the record with Steve Braun, who played for the Blue Jays in 1980.

Clement went 2-for-3 with a run batted in and a run scored in Toronto’s 7-0 win over the Washington Nationals on Wednesday. So far with the Blue Jays, Clement has knocked in three runs, scored four times and walked once.

A former standout for the Brighton varsity baseball team, Clement went undrafted in the 2014 MLB Draft. He opted to play college baseball at the University of Virginia, where he was part of a national championship team his freshman year with the Cavaliers.

Clement was drafted by the Cleveland Guardians in the fourth round of the 2017 MLB Draft. Since then, he has played parts of three seasons for the Guardians and the Oakland Athletics.

Back in March of this year, Clement signed a minor league deal with the Blue Jays. In 35 games for the Triple-A’s Buffalo Bisons, Clement had a hit line of .328/.409/.512 with five home runs, 25 RBI, and six stolen bases.