Alec Michael Burleson (born November 25, 1998) is an American professional baseball outfielder and first baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB).

Alec Burleson
Burleson in 2022 with the St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals – No. 41
Outfielder / First baseman
Born: (1998-11-25) November 25, 1998 (age 25)
Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.
Bats: Left
Throws: Left
MLB debut
September 8, 2022, for the St. Louis Cardinals
MLB statistics
(through 2024 season)
Batting average.256
Home runs30
Runs batted in117
Teams

Amateur career

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Burleson attended East Lincoln High School in Denver, North Carolina. As a junior in 2016, he hit .390 with six home runs alongside pitching to a 0.83 ERA.[1] In 2017, his senior year, he batted .429 with three home runs, nine doubles and 23 RBIs and was named the Southern District 7 2A Offensive Player of the Year.[2] He went undrafted in the 2017 Major League Baseball draft, and enrolled at East Carolina University where he played college baseball.[3]

As a freshman at East Carolina in 2018, Burleson batted .252 with 18 RBIs over 36 games and 103 at-bats alongside pitching 54 innings, going 5–2 with a 3.33 ERA and four saves.[4] He was named the American Athletic Conference Rookie Pitcher of the Year.[5] That summer, he played in the Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League for the Bethesda Big Train.[6] In 2019, his sophomore season, he hit .370 with nine home runs and 61 RBIs, and pitched to a 6–2 record and 3.28 ERA over 60+13 innings.[7][8] He was named to the AAC First Team as an outfielder, and to the Second Team as a utility player.[9] Over the summer, he played for the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team and also made a brief appearance in the Cape Cod Baseball League with the Bourne Braves.[10][11][12] In 2020, his junior season, Burleson hit .375 with three home runs and 12 RBIs over 17 games, alongside pitching to a 4.24 ERA over four starts, before the college baseball season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[13] Over his collegiate career, Burleson started games at first base, left field, right field, designated hitter, and as a pitcher.[14]

 
Burleson in 2023

Professional career

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After the season, Burleson was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals as an outfielder in the second round (70th overall) of the 2020 Major League Baseball draft.[15][16][17] He signed for $700,000.[18] He did not play a minor league game in 2020 because the season was cancelled.[19] To begin the 2021 season, he was assigned to the Peoria Chiefs of the High-A Central.[20] He was quickly promoted to the Springfield Cardinals of the Double-A Central, and was then promoted to the Memphis Redbirds of the Triple-A East in early August.[21][22] Burleson ended the 2021 season with a combined .270/.329/.454 slash line with 22 home runs and 76 RBIs over 119 games between the three clubs.[23]

Burleson returned to Memphis to begin the 2022 season.[24] Over 109 games, he slashed .331/.372/.532 with 20 home runs, 87 RBIs, and 25 doubles.[25]

 
Burleson of the St.Louis Cardinals in 2024

On September 6, 2022, the Cardinals selected Burleson's contract and promoted him to the major leagues.[26] He made his MLB debut on September 8 as the club's starting right fielder, going hitless over four at-bats with a walk in an 11–6 loss to the Washington Nationals.[27] He collected his first MLB hit on September 11, a single off Duane Underwood Jr. of the Pittsburgh Pirates in a 4–3 St. Louis win.[28] He hit his first MLB home run on September 23 off of Hanser Alberto of the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium in an 11–0 Cardinals win.[29] Over 48 at-bats in 16 games with the Cardinals in 2022, he hit .188 with one home run, three RBIs, and one double.[30]

Burleson spent the entirety of the 2023 season with St. Louis and appeared in 107 games, batting .244 with eight home runs and 36 RBIs.[31] He broke his thumb in September, ending his season early.[32] He spent time in left field, right field, first base, and as a designated hitter.[33]

References

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  1. ^ "Burleson re-writes history | Lake Norman Publications". August 5, 2016.
  2. ^ "SD7 baseball and softball all conference: Jessica Adams, Alec Burleson take offensive awards".
  3. ^ "East Lincoln's Burleson faces uncertainty after joining Cardinals in MLB Draft | Lake Norman Publications". June 17, 2020.
  4. ^ Walker, Richard. "Hometown heroes: 2018 College baseball review". Gaston Gazette.
  5. ^ "ECU's Packard named AAC baseball Player of the Year". May 21, 2018.
  6. ^ "Cal Ripken League top prospects". Perfect Game.
  7. ^ "Alec Burleson thankful for time at ECU as he turns pro".
  8. ^ "Ten players to watch in college baseball in 2020". February 13, 2020.
  9. ^ "Tulane's Hoese Named Baseball Player of the Year". July 14, 2024.
  10. ^ "Alec Burleson". pointstreak.com. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  11. ^ "ECU's Burleson named to Collegiate National Team roster". July 2, 2019.
  12. ^ "Braves Out at Home Against Brewster". June 19, 2019.
  13. ^ Hummel, Rick (June 14, 2020). "Meet the 2020 draft picks for the Cardinals". STLtoday.com.
  14. ^ Healy, Joe (April 10, 2020). "Self-Made Star Alec Burleson Does it All For East Carolina". www.baseballamerica.com.
  15. ^ Hughes, Joe. "East Lincoln product Burleson hits big time, taken in MLB Draft". Gaston Gazette.
  16. ^ "ECU's Alec Burleson drafted 70th overall by the Cardinals".
  17. ^ Reflector, The Daily (June 11, 2020). "Cardinals pick another Pirate in Burleson". dailyadvance.com.
  18. ^ "Cardinals sign Draft picks Burleson, Jones". MLB.com.
  19. ^ "2020 Minor League Baseball season canceled". MLB.com.
  20. ^ "Meet the 2021 Peoria Chiefs baseball team. Here's the list".
  21. ^ "Peoria Chiefs rewind: Player promotion, top performances and walkoffs at Dozer Park".
  22. ^ "Cards promote Burleson to Memphis". August 2, 2021.
  23. ^ "Cardinals top prospects expectations for 2022". MLB.com.
  24. ^ "Pipeline isn't loaded, but several top-end prospects could help the Cardinals soon". April 3, 2022.
  25. ^ "What to expect from Alec Burleson". MLB.com.
  26. ^ "First Pitch: Cardinals call up No. 5 prospect Alec Burleson, place Dylan Carlson on IL". September 7, 2022.
  27. ^ "Denver's Alec Burleson making Major League debut for Cardinals - Lake Norman Publications". September 8, 2022.
  28. ^ "Alec Burleson's first career hit | 09/11/2022". MLB.com.
  29. ^ Gullickson, Eric (September 24, 2022). "Former ECU baseball star Burleson hits first career MLB home run". www.witn.com.
  30. ^ "Alec Burleson Stats, Fantasy & News". MLB.com.
  31. ^ "Alec Burleson attempts a transformation to become a viable outfield option for Cardinals". January 14, 2024.
  32. ^ "Moments after another breakthrough, Cardinals rookie Alec Burleson breaks thumb, ends season". September 20, 2023.
  33. ^ "Injuries, hitter regression mean frustrating season for Cardinals: Gordon's final grades". October 4, 2023.
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