Alec Burleson takes home Cardinals' first weekly award since 2023

The St. Louis Cardinals have been the talk of baseball, moving their way up the national power rankings and into the top 10 after a great first month. While much of the news around the team has been the resurgence of Jordan Walker or rookie JJ Wetherholt, Alec Burleson is now getting in on the honors after he was named the National League Player of the Week by MLB.

While the Cardinals are in the middle of a tough stretch in their schedule, Burleson was a consistent presence in the middle of the St. Louis order. Over the past week, Burly hit .407 with five extra-base hits, including two homers and drove in 11 runs. After winning the Silver Slugger as a utility player last season, Burleson is becoming a solid first baseman who has taken on a roll as the grizzled 27-year-old veteran surrounded by a young lineup. Interestingly, Burleson is the first Cardinal to win the Player of the Week award since 2023 when Nolan Gorman earned those honors.

Alec Burleson is the trustworthy piece in a young Cardinals lineup.

In a lineup that had its questions at the start of the year, Burleson has been the steady producer we have come to know. His strong past week brought his overall season numbers to a .269/.349/.448 slash line with five homers and a team-leading 28 RBIs while hitting in the middle of the order. While the average is a dip below what he put up last year, Burleson has revamped his approach at the plate, going from a 7.1% walk rate in 2025 to a solid 11.2% so far in 2026. The newfound patience has not impacted his overall performance, though, as he is still striking out well below the league average and has played a solid defensive first base.

The first baseman was not the only player to be honored by the league this past week, however. Teammate Nathan Church continued his strong run, not just with the bat, but also with his stellar defense in the outfield. Bouncing around between left and center, Church has earned more playing time, grabbing a couple starts from the struggling Victor Scott II. The Cardinals have not been hurt by VSII on the bench and Church in center, though, as Church has been rated as an above-average outfielder wherever he roams the grass. It was in left field, though, that the rookie outfielder was honored by MLB.

Looking to complete another victory against the Pirates, closer Riley O'Brien gave up a long fly ball to Nick Gonzales that was headed over the short wall at PNC Park. Church had other plans and caught the ball just over the wall, sealing a win for the Cardinals as the Pirates were inches from a walk-off victory. With his stellar defense and solid performance at the plate, Church could create a difficult conversation within the organization when Lars Nootbaar returns to the team at the end of the month. Noot figures to slot right back into the lineup nearly every day, meaning one of Church, Scott, and Jose Fermin could be squeezed off of the roster.

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