The St. Louis Cardinals have one of MLB’s most underrated bats–and his name is Alec Burleson.
Burleson’s Breakout Campaign
It might be hard to call Burleson’s 2026 season a “breakout” after he brought home a Silver Slugger in 2025. Even with that being the case, he’s finally starting to garner national attention as one of the game’s best bats.
This season, ‘Burly’ has a slashline of .291/.357/.478. Good for an OPS of .835 and an OPS+ of 137.
Recently, Just Baseball Media highlighted a strong inkling of Burleson’s quiet dominance.
In his last calendar year of contests, the left-handed slugger is one of five MLB bats with at least a .285 batting average and 90 RBIs.
Not only does that display Burleson’s uncanny consistency, but it also demonstrates his innate ability to create consistent contact and drive in runners.
In addition to his excellent power numbers, Burleson sports an xBA ranking in baseball’s 93rd percentile. He pairs that with elite whiff rates and a knack for putting the ball in play.
If there’s one downside to Burleson’s makeup, it’s chase. Sometimes the big lefty can get ahead of himself and go for pitches outside the zone. But even in doing so, St. Louis’ announcer Chip Caray has deemed him “one of baseball’s best ‘bad ball’ hitters.”
Currently, Burleson is in the midst of an 11-game hitting streak and has launched home runs in back-to-back-to-back contests. The Cardinals dropped their finale against the Mets today, but not before Burly sent another ball deep into the Queens’ bleachers.
Fans and analysts alike are finally starting to give the East Carolina product the credit he deserves.
Social Media Reacts to Burleson’s Season
Here’s what people are saying:
MLB: “Alec Burleson has now homered in all three games in this series!”
Just Baseball: “Alec Burleson goes deep for the second straight game! His last 10 games: 15-40 (.375 AVG), 3 HR, 12 RBI, .432 OBP, .700 SLG, 1.132 OPS, 10-game hitting streak. He’s one of the hottest hitters in baseball right now.”
PaceBall: “Alec Burleson is cemented on the list of ‘Dudes who Mash.’ Season Stats: 11 HR, 48 RBI, .290 AVG | .356 OBP | .842 OPS. Pace: 27 HR / 119 RBI. #STLCards.”
Baseball Unstitched: “Alec Burleson has had a HOT start to June! After another HR today, he has a 9-game hitting streak and boy does he look good at the plate: 38 PA, .371/.421/.852, .483 wOBA, 215 wRC+, 4 HR (including today), 5/3 K/BB. His wRC+ for the year is up to 138, only trailing Jordan Walker.”
The Cardinals Future
If Burleson continues his incredible pace and the Cardinals fall back to Earth, he could be used as trade bait. However, if St. Louis persists and threatens for a playoff bid, there’s no doubt Burleson will be a key part of their plan.
The Cardinals’ President of Baseball Operations, Chaim Bloom, has made it clear: they’re staying the course. If that truly is the case, Burleson could find himself sporting another uniform if St. Louis is thrown a good deal come July.
Burleson has now cemented himself as a quality MLB bat after a great 2025 season. The next step is to become a key fixture for St. Louis’ future.
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