Cardinals 27-Year-Old Slugger Has St. Louis Buzzing This Spring

The Cardinals have one of the best sluggers in the National League on their roster this season...

Feb 16, 2026; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Alec Burleson (41) fields a ground ball during spring training workouts at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images | Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals are heading toward a pretty significant rebuild right now. They swung four massive trades over the course of the offseason to cut ties with veteran players Nolan Arenado, Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras, and Brendan Donovan.

As a result, the Cardinals are going to need the next generation of players to step up in a big way this year. They seemingly have replacements for each player traded, but they can't afford any of them to struggle out of the gate.

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Joey Schneider of KTVI recently predicted Burleson would tally 100 RBI this season. Schneider joined a long list of baseball analysts who believe Burleson is going to have a huge season this year.

Alec Burleson is primed for a huge year and the Cardinals know it

Sep 23, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Alec Burleson (41) catches for an out against the San Francisco Giants during the fourth inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images | Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

"Alec Burleson has made steady offensive improvements in each of his first three full big-league seasons, most impressively with his on-base plus slugging percentage-plus rating (OPS+) rising from 87 to 105 to 125. ," Schneider wrote. "The metric indicates he was getting on base and slugging around 25% better than the average player last year. The growth in that department alone suggests that Burleson is entering his prime.

"Once again, he’ll be asked to raise the bar again this season, particularly in run production in a lineup with Nolan Arenado and Willson Contreras. Burleson is expected to settle into the heart of the lineup, likely hitting second, third or cleanup, all spots of ample opportunity to drive in runners."

Burleson was one of the best sluggers in the National League last season. He was awarded the NL's utility Silver Slugger award after posting a 125 OPS+ in 139 games.

But he's going to slot into a much more consistent role with the Cardinals after the Contreras trade. Burleson will likely play almost exclusively at first base, which should provide him with more security and stability.

He might not the favorite to win the Silver Slugger award at first base, but he could have an even better season with his role at first base. 100 RBI is certainly in the picture if the slugger can stay healthy.

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