Cardinals' Alec Burleson Already Turning Heads With Big Game Power

The Cardinals seemingly have one of the better young sluggers in the National League on their roster...

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

The St. Louis Cardinals opted to aggressively rebuild this offseason and it's seemingly trending in the right direction.

The Cardinals cut ties with four of their top veterans and landed a haul of prospects in return. As a result, there's set to be a lot of pressure on the young players in St. Louis.

Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter recently ranked Cardinals first baseman Alec Burleson as the No. 17 ranked first baseman in baseball while sharing quite a bit of praise for him.

If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.

"Miscast as an outfielder (-12 DRS, -20 OAA career), Burleson can now return to his more natural spot at first base after Willson Contreras was traded to the Red Sox," Reuter wrote. "He was one of only 12 qualified hitters with a strikeout rate below 15 percent and an OPS+ above 120 in 2025, and with less focus on trying to be a passable outfielder, a career year at the plate could be on the horizon."

After this ranking, Burleson turned heads with a monster home run in the Cardinals' spring training game on Thursday.

Alec Burleson is a key piece of the Cardinals future

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 Cardinals went into Thursday's spring training game with Burleson playing first base and hitting in the two hole. After flying out and walking in his first two at-bats, the young slugger connected with an 0-2 fastball that he smashed 109 miles per hour for a home run. This has seemignly been the routine for him in live at-bats and spring training games early this spring.

Last year, Burleson posted a career high 1.8 WAR with 26 doubles and 18 home runs. He posted a 125 OPS+ and should be able to trend even better this year as he more consistent playing time at first base rather than anywhere else on the field.

The Cardinals are going to need Burleson to slug even more as the Cardinals turn to their young core. With players like Masyn Winn and JJ Wetherholt expected to hit ahead of Burleson, the team is going to need their first baseman to slug around 25 or 30 home runs to keep their offense afloat.

Early in spring training, he's looked good. As time goes on, he's likely going to look even better as he gets back into the flow of things.