Alec Burleson

Active

St. Louis Cardinals · First Base

Age 276' 0" · 225 lbsBats Left

FBaseball Overview

Burleson enters 2026 as St. Louis's primary first baseman with a skill set built on consistent contact and moderate power production. His 2025 season demonstrated solid all-around fantasy value with a .290 average, 18 home runs, and 69 RBI across nearly 500 at-bats, though his 2026 numbers show a modest decline in both power and run production despite maintaining a respectable .280 batting average. The 27-year-old profiles as a reliable mid-tier fantasy option in deeper leagues, offering stability in batting average and RBI while his limited stolen-base upside—just five swipes in 2025—means he won't provide help in speed categories. Managers should view him as a complementary first-base choice rather than a centerpiece, banking on his consistency rather than explosive upside.

MLB Hitting

Year	Team	G	AVG	HR	RBI	R	SB	OBP	SLG	OPS
2022	St. Louis Cardinals	16	.188	1	3	4	1	.264	.271	.535
2023	St. Louis Cardinals	107	.244	8	36	34	3	.300	.390	.690
2024	St. Louis Cardinals	152	.269	21	78	71	9	.314	.420	.734
2025	St. Louis Cardinals	139	.290	18	69	54	5	.343	.459	.802
2026	St. Louis Cardinals	88	.280	14	63	46	3	.343	.470	.813
Career	Totals	502	.270	62	249	209	21	.324	.431	.755

Source: MLB Stats API · Multi-team seasons show combined totals — click to expand

Minor League Hitting

Year	Team	G	AVG	HR	RBI	R	SB	OBP	SLG	OPS
2021	3 teams▼	119	.270	22	76	61	3	.329	.454	.783
2022	Memphis Redbirds	109	.331	20	87	68	4	.372	.532	.904
Career	Totals	228	.300	42	163	129	7	.350	.492	.842

Source: MLB Stats API · Multi-team seasons show combined totals — click to expand

Game Log2026 season

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Analytics2026 season · via Baseball Savant

Click for year to year changes

EV Avg91.8 mph

Max EV111.7 mph

Launch Angle11.7°

Barrel %10.6%

K %15.1%

Hard Hit %48.8%

Whiff %20.4%

Chase %34.5%

xBA0.295

xSLG0.537

xwOBA0.383

GB%45.0%

LD%20.9%

FB%28.4%

What These Stats Mean

EV Avg — Average exit velocity — how hard this batter hits the ball. Elite hitters (90+ mph) make consistently hard contact, driving better batting averages and more power.

Max EV — Peak exit velocity on the batter's hardest-hit ball this season. Signals raw power potential even without a high HR total yet.

Launch Angle — Average vertical angle of the ball off the bat. The sweet spot for extra-base hits is roughly 10–30°; extreme ground ball or pop-up hitters sit outside this range.

Barrel % — Percentage of batted balls hit with the optimal exit velocity + launch angle combo. Barrels are the single best predictor of home runs and slugging percentage.

K % — Strikeout rate per plate appearance. High K% suppresses batting average and limits run-scoring opportunities — lower is better for fantasy.

Hard Hit % — Percentage of batted balls hit 95 mph or harder. A broader power indicator than barrels; high hard-hit% players rack up extra-base hits and RBI.

Sprint Speed — Peak sprint speed in feet per second. The best predictor of stolen base upside and ability to leg out infield hits.

Whiff % — Percentage of swings that miss. High whiff rates signal strikeout vulnerability, dragging down batting average and overall production.

Chase % — How often the batter swings at pitches outside the strike zone. Low chase rates mean elite plate discipline — more walks, fewer strikeouts, more consistent at-bats.

xBA — Expected batting average based on contact quality, stripping out luck and defensive positioning. Better predictor of future performance than actual batting average.

xSLG — Expected slugging based on batted ball data. A high xSLG relative to actual SLG suggests power suppressed by bad luck that's likely to bounce back.

xwOBA — Expected weighted on-base average — the most comprehensive single expected metric. Combines contact quality, walks, and strikeouts to project overall offensive production.

GB% — Ground ball rate. High GB% hitters trade home run power for speed-dependent value — good for stolen base upside, but a drag on HR and SLG categories.

LD% — Line drive rate. High LD% hitters make consistent hard contact; line drives are the batted ball type most likely to fall for hits and boost batting average.

FB% — Fly ball rate. Elite power hitters combine high FB% with high exit velocity. High fly ball rate + soft contact = home run or nothing type.

Loading player data...

Year

Team

AVG

RBI

OBP

SLG

OPS

2022

St. Louis Cardinals

.188

.264

.271

.535

2023

St. Louis Cardinals

107

.244

.300

.390

.690

2024

St. Louis Cardinals

152

.269

.314

.420

.734

2025

St. Louis Cardinals

139

.290

.343

.459

.802

2026

St. Louis Cardinals

.280

.343

.470

.813

Career

Totals

502

.270

249

209

.324

.431

.755

Year

Team

AVG

RBI

OBP

SLG

OPS

2021

3 teams▼

119

.270

.329

.454

.783

2022

Memphis Redbirds

109

.331

.372

.532

.904

Career

Totals

228

.300

163

129

.350

.492

.842