Alec Burleson's Absurd Season Is Flying Under the Radar for Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals have an underrated star on their hands in Alec Burleson.

Aug 17, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Alec Burleson (41) high fives teammates after scoring on a RBI single hit by shortstop Masyn Winn (not pictured) in the fourth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

If there is one guy in Major League Baseball right now likely not getting the credit that he deserves, it would be St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Alec Burleson.

Burleson won the first Silver Slugger Award of his career last season, and yet he has been even better this year. In 2025, Burleson slashed .290/.343/.459 with an .801 OPS, 18 home runs, 69 RBIs, five stolen bases, 39 walks, 26 doubles and two triples in 139 games played.

So far this season, he's slashing .289/.354/.493 with an .847 OPS, 21 home runs, 92 RBIs, three stolen bases, 33 doubles, one triple and 71 runs scored in 126 games played. He also has already set a new career high in walks with 45. Plus, Burleson is leading the league in both RBIs (92) and doubles (33).

Alec Burleson Is A Star

Aug 16, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Alec Burleson (41) reacts after hitting a two-run single against the Chicago Cubs during the fourth inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Again, Burleson's 2025 season was great. This season has been another level. A 46-point jump in OPS after winning a Silver Slugger Award is impressive. Plus, he has been as good as he has been after transitioning roles with the club. Before the 2026 season, he bounced around all over the field at first base, left field, right field and designated hitter. This year, Burleson has been the club's everyday first baseman after trading Willson Contreras to the Boston Red Sox.

When Contreras was traded, there was some chatter about whether Burleson could fill his shoes over at first base. He has done just that.

Contreras has played in 115 games for Boston and is slashing .283/.393/.535 with a .929 OPS, 25 home runs, 74 RBIs, 63 runs scored and 21 doubles. Burleson is leading in batting average, RBIs, runs scored and doubles. Plus, Burleson has been the best first baseman in baseball when it comes to receiving OAA.

Baseball Savant recently introduced their Receiving OAA metric

It measures how much value a first baseman adds or loses when receiving throws from the other infielders

Alec Burleson leads all MLB first basemen pic.twitter.com/EH2rJxFEWr

— Adam Akbani (@AdamAkbani) August 19, 2026

Simply put, Burleson's season has been incredible, despite the fact that he's still somehow underrated. The breakout of Jordan Walker and rookie JJ Wetherholt's rise have overshadowed what Burleson has been able to do for the franchise. But Burleson should be right up there with Walker and Wetherholt. It's not every day that you can find a first baseman with the pop that Burleson has.

Cardinals fans know what Burleson can do at this point, of course. But fans around the league need to learn about this guy. Plus, he's just 27 years old. He should be right up there in the conversation with the best overall first basemen in baseball.