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Batting third, left fielder Alec Burleson
Alec Burleson gets a shot at hitting in the 2026 St. Louis Cardinals' ideal lineup.
Burleson will be fresh off a Silver Slugger Award at the utility position in the National League. Burly, who turns 27 in November, had a career-best year offensively in 2025. He slashed .290/.343/.459 last year with 18 home runs and 54 runs batted in. He bested fellow teammate Brendan Donovan and Jake Cronenworth to win the NL utility Silver Slugger Award in 2025.
Alec Burleson's .290 batting average was tied for the fifth-best figure among all qualified National League hitters last year. His 124 wRC+ was tied for the best mark on the Cardinals last year with Willson Contreras.
Burleson's offensive showing has earned him a nod at the three spot in 2026. His left-handed power potential behind Masyn Winn and Ivan Herrera will play nicely. Putting Burleson at third allows him to take the next step in his offensive evolution. Burly's offensive numbers have taken dramatic jumps each year, going from a .691 OPS in 2023, to a .735 OPS in 2024, to a career-best .801 OPS in 2025.
His wRC+ has risen at regular rates from 89 in 2023 to 124 in 2025. If he can continue this offensive rise, Alec Burleson has a chance to be a top-10 hitter in the National League next year, and nothing would be more beneficial than the Cardinals in 2026.
Steamer projects Burleson to finish with a .277/.333/.454 line with a team-high 19 home runs in 500 plate appearances. Once again, that feels a bit light for a guy who neared a .300 batting average and hit 20 long balls last year.
The Cardinals have been looking for a tentpole hitter since Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado in 2022. Burleson will be their first homegrown tentpole hitter since Tommy Pham in 2019. Placing him in the third spot opens up run-scoring opportunities early and often in the heart of the lineup.
Burleson has been mentioned in trade talks this winter. He would net a decent-sized package of prospects for an organization looking to prepare for the future, but trading away a potential middle-of-the-order hitter with years of team control remaining would be a gamble by Chaim Bloom in his first offseason at the helm. Look for Alec Burleson to open the 2026 lineup in a key spot in the lineup.