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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: November 25, 1998 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 runs | 30 |
| Runs batted in | 117 |
| Teams | |
| |
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+1⁄3 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]
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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]
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]
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