The Toronto Blue Jays are in the midst of a disappointing season. Following a series loss against the Houston Astros, the Jays are 39-41, 9.5 games out of first place in the American League East and have just a half-game lead for the final AL wild card spot over the Athletics.

One of the few bright spots of the season for Toronto has been the performance of infielder Ernie Clement, who was recently recognized for his career-best season.

Clement was named a starter at second base for the All-Star Game on Wednesday. He earned the most votes in the American League.

Clement was the only player in the AL to receive over three million votes.

Clement entered this regular season after a historic postseason. In last year's playoffs, he slashed .411/.416/.562 with a .978 OPS in 18 games and hit six doubles, a triple and a home run with nine RBIs in 18 games. His 30 hits in the playoffs set an MLB record for the most in a single postseason.

This year, his sixth in the majors and fourth with the Blue Jays, Clement is slashing .294/.315/.439 with a .754 OPS in 78 games and has hit 20 doubles, a triple and seven homers with 28 RBIs. 

Clement's batting average is the most in a single since since his first with Toronto in 2022, where he hit .380 in just 30 games.

Despite the Blue Jays' down season, there's a good chance that Clement will have several of his teammates with him for the All-Star break.

Among position players, Toronto has several finalists for the AL. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is a finalist for first base, Kazuma Okamoto is a finalist for third base, Alejandro Kirk is a finalist for catcher and George Springer is a finalist for designated hitter.

On the pitching side, the Blue Jays could also have several members of the staff also make their way to the Midsummer Classic.

Starting pitcher Dylan Cease has a 2.75 ERA and has struck out 118 batters in 78.2 innings pitched across 14 starts. His 118 fanned batters is third in the major leagues and first in the American League.

Toronto also has a reliever that, at his current pace, could find himself in the running for the AL Reliever of the Year award at the end of the season. Louis Varland has posted a career-best 0.84 ERA this season and has fanned 58 hitters in 43 innings pitched across 38 outings. He has five holds and is a perfect 16-for-16 in save opportunities.

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