Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals Expert ‘Worried’ About 26-Year-Old Slugger

St. Louis has had an up-and-down start to the season...
Patrick McAvoy|
Sep 17, 2018; Atlanta, GA, USA; Detailed view of a St. Louis Cardinals hat and glove in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning at SunTrust Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Sep 17, 2018; Atlanta, GA, USA; Detailed view of a St. Louis Cardinals hat and glove in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning at SunTrust Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

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St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals have had an inconsistent start to the 2025 Major League Baseball season. 

St. Louis lost against the New York Mets on Sunday to drop its record to 9-13. Obviously, that’s not where the Cardinals want to be. They currently are in fourth place in the National League Central behind the Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers, and Cincinnati Reds.

The Cardinals have had some really positive moments but there’s things that haven’t worked out yet. For example, FanSided’s Josh Jacobs shared a list of four players he’s “worried” about right now. One that was on the list was Alec Burleson.

"Burleson has been the Cardinals' primary DH against right-handed pitching while filling in at first base as needed as well," Jacobs said. "He squared up the baseball almost the best in baseball and struck out just 12.8 percent of the time, and all of his expected numbers looked great for the second year in a row. In 2025 though, those expected numbers have taken a major dip. He's yet to barrel a single baseball, he's not hitting the ball particularly hard, and the power has been zapped from his bat.

"He has yet to hit a home run this year, and that's coming off a second half where he hit just four home runs in 231 plate appearances. This is a far cry in production from the guy who slugged 17 home runs in his first 340 plate appearances in 2024. If Burleson can't find that power stroke consistently again, it is going to be very difficult for him to produce enough offensively to warrant playing time over Thomas Saggese or allowing Gorman another shot at consistent time.

So far this season he is slashing .250/.304/.297 with zero home runs, six RBIs, two stolen bases, and three doubles in 21 games played.

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Patrick McAvoy
PATRICK MCAVOY

Patrick McAvoy's experiences include local and national sports coverage at the New England Sports Network with a focus on baseball and basketball. Outside of journalism, Patrick also is pursuing an MBA at Brandeis University. After quickly rising as one of the most productive writers on the site, he expanded his reach to write for Baseball Essential, a national baseball site in Sports Illustrated Media Group. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Inside The Cardinals, please reach out to Scott Neville: nevilles@merrimack.edu

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