Cardinals first baseman Alec Burleson finally gets the defensive recognition he deserves

The St. Louis Cardinals have been moving in the right direction in August and continue to give fans hope for the postseason. As the dog days of summer arrive, the young Cardinals roster just keeps getting better in all aspects of the game. A team that was supposed to struggle and be in the bottom of the standings has surpassed expectations, and their final remaining veteran leader is a big reason why.

Alec Burleson, the major league leader in RBIs, has always been seen as a solid or better hitter, but this year we have started to see him reach his full potential. The lefty won the Silver Slugger last year as a utility player but his full-time move to first base could see him in award contention again among stellar competition. The transition to the cold corner came after the Cardinals dealt Willson Contreras and the shift from a spectacular run of above-average defenders at first was supposed to be coming to an end.

Alec Burleson has been a star for the Cardinals and now his glove is finally getting recognized

Based on the advanced fielding metrics, Burleson has measured as a below-average fielder for most of the season despite the eye test proving otherwise. It is difficult to value first base defense due to the overall lack of range and arm strength needed to play the position, but there is something to be said when the rest of the infield is comfortable with the receiver of their throws. According to Defensive Runs Saved, Alec Burleson ranks 23rd among the 25 first basemen who have played at least 500 innings at the bag. For those who watch the games on a near-daily basis, that is pure blasphemy.

The FanGraphs measurement values him as a -5 in DRS despite a .993 fielding percentage and starting 14 double plays. The twin-killings ranking puts him second in baseball, just one behind annual Gold Glove contender Matt Olson and Burleson has matched his fielding percentage while committing just one more error. Luckily for the Burly believers, Statcast and Baseball Savant just released a new metric that finally rewards the Cardinals first baseman for the incredible work he has done at first this year. According to the newly released Receiving Outs Above Average metric, Burleson ranks as the best in the majors at handling throws at the bag.

While simply catching the ball does not seem like too daunting of a task, Burleson has to handle throws that other players never have to. Despite the incorrect sentiment that "anyone can play first base", Burly has been exactly what Masyn Winn, JJ Wetherholt, and whatever third baseman is in the lineup need at the bag. Winn and Wetherholt are two of the overall best defenders in all of baseball and there could be an argument that someone as competent at handling fireballs from Winn and helping along JJ in his shift to second plays a major role in that rating.

As Alec Burleson continues to become one of the best all-around hitters in the game, he is doing his part to make sure he provides value on both sides of the ball. Now that there is a metric that values a first baseman's ability to catch, reach, and scoop throws at first, Burleson is finally getting the recognition he deserves as a top-five first baseman in the sport.

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