5 players most affected by the Cardinals' lack of activity

3. Alec Burleson

Lefty outfielder and first baseman Alec Burleson was one of the few bright spots for the Cardinals' offense in the first half of the year. Entering the All-Star break, he was hitting .288 with 17 homers and 53 RBIs with only 46 strikeouts in over 300 at-bats. With his consistent offense and the realization of 2024 most likely being Paul Goldschmidt's last year in St. Louis, Burleson centered himself as the first baseman of the future for the Cardinals. Although he spent much of the season in the outfield, it has long been seen that he would eventually have to transition to a full-time first baseman along with some starts at DH.

The second half of the season, however, started to push Burleson from the 2025 starting lineup lock to a solid platoon piece. After receiving starter at-bats with his strong first half, Burly struggled early and often for the remainder of the season and eventually became a bench piece for manager Oli Marmol. After a fringe-All-Star first half, Burleson hit .242 with only four homers over his last 231 at-bats and fell from the everyday rotation.

With the departure of Goldschmidt, it still appeared that Burleson would have a shot at the starting gig but Willson Contreras made headlines when it was announced he would not waive his no-trade clause and instead shift 90 feet up the diamond to first base. With Contreras being such an important piece of the offense, the only open spot for Burleson would be in the DH role as Arenado's presence continues to crowd the outfield as well. In order to maintain his hold on the spot, he will have to show an increased ability to hit for power and compete against left-handed pitching.

Despite the potential demotion, Burleson has continuously shown above-average bat-to-ball skills. Scouts have always lauded his ability to put the ball in play, but the organization wants to see more pop from the 6'2 lefty, especially if he will be playing more at a power-premium position like first base. According to Baseball Savant, Burly's whiff rate and strikeout percentage are even better than mega contract outfielder Juan Soto but his chase rate is near the bottom of the league. His plate coverage is so good that the team has actually wanted him to decrease his aggressiveness early in the count because of his great 12.8% K-rate. If Burleson can alter his approach and attack his pitches with a powerful swing, he could push the Cardinals to give him more playing time despite the roster status.