Cardinals Breakout? 26-Year-Old Slugger Turning Heads In St. Louis

The St. Louis Cardinals don't have a loaded roster of talent. In fact, they don't have much star power at all, but that hasn't stopped them from winning their fair share of games.

There have been a few bright spots on the roster so far this season, with players like Brendan Donovan leading the way.

Thomas Gauvain of Redbird Rants recently highlighted Alec Burleson as one of the Cardinals' brighter stars of the season.

"Burleson has proven that he deserves this honor based on his offensive production over the last three years," Gauvain wrote. "He's incrementally brought up his OPS+ each year in the majors from 87 in 2023 as a rookie to 121 this year in his third professional season.

"Despite going 0-4 on his first official night as a regular against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Burleson is still slashing .281/.337/.456 on the year for an OPS of .793. He's slugged 14 home runs, second most on the team behind Willson Contreras (15). Burleson's OPS trails only Ivan Herrera among players with at least 240 plate appearances. No matter how you slice it, Alec Burleson has been an essential offensive contributor for the St. Louis Cardinals this year."

Burleson might be a poor defender, but his bat has made up for it. He's slashing .281/.337/.456 with 14 home runs and a 1.3 WAR. He's already eclipsed his career best WAR of 1.2 from last season.

With around 50 games to go, Burleson is expected to be in the lineup close to every day. He has the potential to eclipse 20 home runs and push for 2.0 WAR on the season.

These might not be superstar numbers, but it's a trend in the right direction. At this rate, he looks like a staple in the lineup for years to come.