Central STL News

SAN FRANCISCO — St. Louis Cardinals first baseman and outfielder Alec Burleson has emerged as a key player for the team, both at the plate and in the field, during the 2025 season. Before Monday’s game against the San Francisco Giants, manager Oliver Marmol described Burleson as one of the building blocks for the franchise’s future.

“Wow, that’s kind of the first time I’ve heard that from someone who … maybe he doesn’t make the decisions, but helps with them,” Burleson said after learning about Marmol’s comments. “I feel like my whole career, I’ve had to prove that I can hit at this level, and that’s had its ups and downs. But hearing that kind of caught me off guard.”

Burleson contributed three hits in Monday night’s 6-5 win over the Giants at Oracle Park. The Cardinals also saw Iván Herrera hit his 18th home run—his seventh in September—tying the game during a four-run fifth inning against veteran pitcher Justin Verlander. José Fermín added two doubles to support the offense.

With this victory, St. Louis pulled even with San Francisco in pursuit of a National League Wild Card spot, sitting 3 1/2 games behind both Cincinnati and New York.

“I love the fact that they’re not going to give in,” Marmol said about his team’s efforts late in the season. “Part of that is you have some young guys who want to show you that they belong up here and they’re going to compete every out, and it leads to games like this. They’re just not going to give in, and we’re going to play it all the way through and see where we’re at, but it’s been fun to watch them compete.”

Burleson has become a regular starter despite frequent lineup changes due to injuries such as Willson Contreras’ right biceps tightness. After his performance on Monday, Burleson is batting .293—third-best in the National League—and leads St. Louis with 141 hits this season. His 18 home runs are tied for second on the team alongside Herrera.

Marmol praised Burleson's improvement on defense: “He’s proven that he can be a part of what we’re building,” Marmol said. “He understood that improving his defense was important, and we’re seeing a better version of him out there. You rarely, if ever, see a ball hit to him where he doesn’t throw to the right base or hit the cut-off man.

“I think you’ll see an offseason where he will get better about how he’s moving and his overall body. And he’s been tremendous for us offensively.”

After making progress at bat last year, Burleson further refined his approach by being more selective with pitches this season. He reduced his chase rate outside of the strike zone from 34.5% in 2024 to 28.6% in 2025.

This improved discipline has placed him among MLB leaders: his squared-up rate ranks within baseball's top five percent; his strikeout rate (14.3%), whiff rate (17.9%), and average exit velocity (91.1 mph) are also among league leaders.

Reflecting on his journey so far with St. Louis, Burleson said: “I feel like my whole career it’s been me proving that I can help this team win,” he said. “I had an OK season last year, but I went into spring feeling I was pushed, which is not a bad thing. It’s been a battle, but I feel like I’m just getting started, and I’m going to continue to play with that chip on my shoulder.”