2025 Fantasy Baseball: Alec Burleson Profile, Preview, Predictions
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If Alec Burleson can solve lefties, he will be a winning fantasy investment. He offers a high four category floor while upping his value in stolen bases (9) last year.
Alec Burleson last night in the 1st inning: home run
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) June 5, 2024
Alec Burleson tonight in the 1st inning: home run pic.twitter.com/heLLF79Kpg
OF – Alec Burleson, STL (ADP – 227.5)
Over two seasons in the Cardinals’ organization, Burleson quickly pushed his way from High A to the majors. He hit .300 over 888 at-bats in the minors with 129 runs, 42 home runs, 163 RBIs, and seven steals while having 586 at-bats at AAA (.306/87/24/109/4) coming into 2023. His strikeout rate (17.3) started in a good place with a below-par walk rate (7.3).
St. Louis gave him 48 at-bats in September of 2022, but he failed to make an impact (.188/4/1/3/1). Burleson worked off the bench for the Cardinals the following season all year. He battled a leg issue in April, and his season ended in mid-September with a broken left thumb. Burleson only had 27 at-bats against lefties (.258 with no home runs and six RBIs). He only had more than 65 at-bats in April (.231/10/3/8 over 78 at-bats).
Last year, his bat was more than major-league-ready, leading to a winning five-category season (.269/71/21/78/9 over 547 at-bats) for a waiver wire pickup. He went 18-for-66 over his first 24 games with four runs, two home runs, and 10 stolen bases. St. Louis upped his playing time after sending Jordan Walker to AAA. Burleson started to find his power stride in June (.271/18/7/29/3 over 107 at-bats). Over the second half of the season, he hit .261 with 39 runs, nine home runs, 40 RBIs, and four steals.
His strikeout rate (12.8) moved into an elite area, with a slight pullback in his walk rate (5.9). He ranked 92nd in exit velocity (89.7 mph) and 90th in hard-hit rate (41.7). Burleson improved his launch angle (13.6), fly-ball rate (36.8), and HR/FB rate (12.0). His one glaring negative was his weakness against left-handed pitching (.196/15/3/12/2 over 133 at-bats).
Fantasy Outlook: St. Louis gave Burleson the majority of his at-bats in the second slot in their batting order last year, and that plan should hold form this season except when facing left-handed pitching. His FPGscore (0.58) ranked 58th in 2024. I like his floor in batting average, runs, home runs, and RBIs, and I understand he may have another gear if his bat improves against lefties. In my thoughts, and Burleson should be ranked higher on the OF4 list.
RANKINGS
Top 5 Catchers | Catchers 6-10 | Catchers 11-15
Top 5 First Basemen | First Basemen 6-10 | First Basemen 11-15
Top 5 Second Basemen | Second Basemen 6-10 | Second Basemen 11-15
Top 5 Shortstops | Shortstops 6-10 | Shortstops 11-15
Top 5 Third Basemen | Third Basemen 6-10 | Third Basemen 11-15
With 20+ years of experience in the high-stakes fantasy market, I aim to research and compete at the highest level in baseball and football each season. I've contributed as a writer/analyst for Sports Draft Daily, ScoutPro, Scout Fantasy, Fulltime Fantasy, FFToolbox, and Sports Illustrated Fantasy. I'm honored to be in the National Fantasy Baseball Championship Hall of Fame. My drafting philosophy is risk-averse yet open to betting on potential game-changers. I approach player selection with a neutral perspective, acknowledging that fantasy sports are inherently unpredictable due to injuries, performance dips, and managerial decisions. My work focuses on these main areas: - Season-long fantasy baseball and football - BestBall Baseball and Football Events - Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS): DraftKings, FanDuel, and Underdog - Long Shot Player Prop Parlays for NFL I participate in various leagues and contests, including NFBC, NFFC, RTSports, FFPC, DraftKings, Underdog Fantasy, FanDuel, and FFWC, with the goal of leveraging my extensive experience and research for success in each game format. A fantasy follower can expect in-depth profiles of NFL and MLB players, along with season-long and weekly projections for each fantasy football season. In addition, I have many strategy articles to help develop fantasy players' learning curves.
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