Alec Burleson's Career Year Takes Another Turn for Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals have a budding star on their hands in Alec Burleson.

Sep 3, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals infielder Alec Burleson (41) reacts after striking out against Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Edgardo Henriquez (not pictured) during the sixth inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It's hard not to be fired up for first baseman Alec Burleson if you're a fan of the St. Louis Cardinals.

What he has been able to do for St. Louis this season has been special. First and foremost, Burleson transitioned from a utility role to first base after the Cardinals traded Willson Contreras to the Boston Red Sox.

That's no small feat in itself. Contreras has been a big-name star throughout his big league career. He signed a five-year, $87.5 million deal with the Cardinals ahead of the 2023 season. This was after he played seven seasons for one of the Cardinals' biggest rivals in the Chicago Cubs. Contreras came to town with an All-Star pedigree to him and was very good in a Cardinals uniform. St. Louis moved on from him to cut costs and that led to Burleson being moved to fully take over at first base, rather than bouncing around the field.

He has delievered ever since. In fact, Burleson is having the best season of his big league career to this point.

What A Year For Cardinals 1B Alec Burleson

Sep 7, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Alec Burleson (41) jogs to the dugout after hitting a solo home run against San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Logan Webb (not pictured) during the sixth inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The 27-year-old has set new career highs in WAR (2.9), runs (81), base hits (156), doubles (34), home runs (22), RBIs (104), walks (48), OPS (.812) and OPS+ (131).

Now, of course, things are going to change, especially when it comes to OPS, WAR and OPS+. There are still a few weeks to go in the 2026 season, but Burleson has been dynamite. Before the 2026 season, Burleson's career high in homers was 21 and his previous career high in RBIs was 78.

Burleson has gone from being a good player, to looking like a legit star. Last year, he won the first Silver Slugger Award of his career. Another one should be on the way this season. Plus, he's putting up All-Star-like numbers.

What makes Burleson even better is the fact that he's under team control for two more seasons. He won't hit free agency until after the 2028 season. By then, the Cardinals certainly could be among the top contenders in the National League. This is a young roster we're talking about that is just getting better. An infield with Burleson, JJ Wetherholt, and Masyn Winn should be together for years to come. It's already among the best infields in the National League and they're all young. They're just going to get better.