The St. Louis Cardinals find themselves in the Postseason race as the All-Star Break draws near. In recent weeks, young outfielder and DH Alec Burleson has caught fire to help the Cardinals stay competitive amid key injuries. The left-hander has earned more playing time. He’s also making things more complicated as the Cardinals decide whether to buy or sell at the Trade Deadline.
Promising Young Cardinal Heating Up at the Right Time
Burleson’s Hot Streak
In the past two weeks, Burleson has arguably been the Cardinals best hitter. He leads the team in batting average at .305, slugging percentage at .627, and OPS at .933. Burleson also leads the team in home runs with five, hits with 18, and he has more than twice as many RBI as anyone else on the team with 17. The 26-year-old’s hot streak has impressed his teammates.
“Burly’s got a great swing, and he’s a great hitter, and when he makes great plays for us, that’s just huge,” Nolan Arenado told MLB.com’s John Denton after a June 26th loss to the Chicago Cubs.
Burleson’s slugging percentage in the past 15 days is 20th in the MLB. The recent hot streak has improved his season-long slash line to .298/.332/.472. He’s also now tied for third with Arenado on the team in home runs with 10 and third on the team in RBI at 37.
Earned an Everyday Spot
Burleson started off the season as something of a bench and utility player. He was meant to spell Willson Contreras at first base when the veteran needed a break. The Cardinals also expected to get Burleson playing time at DH and occasionally in the outfield. Now, with the season halfway through, Burleson has earned a spot in the lineup daily.
The Cardinals have a focus this season on getting young players an extended runway to show what they can do. It’s an idea that was mostly applied to players like Jordan Walker, Nolan Gorman and some young pitchers like Matthew Liberatore and Andre Pallante entering the season. That idea now applies to Burleson as well.
“He’s done a really nice job waiting for his opportunity,” Cardinal’s manager Oliver Marmol told The Athletic’s Katie Woo. “I think the overall communication has helped, understanding that during this stretch your playing time is not going to be a ton, but stay locked in because we’ll mix you in. His mentality has been really good throughout that. He was never down on himself. He continued to work, and he was ready for his opportunity, and credit to him, he’s done a really nice job running with it.”
Improving his Defense
One of the biggest knocks on Burleson so far in his career has been sub-par defense. However, the fourth-year player has made it a point of emphasis to work on that this season. He’s worked with Willie McGee in the past and bench coach Jon Jay this year.
“There’s just a lot of extra work that goes into it that not everybody sees,” Burleson told Denton. “But there were plays [in past years] that I feel like I could have made and didn’t. Now, it’s coming together for me this year. But it takes a lot more work and effort to play three different positions — and not just play them, but also be able to hold your own out there.”
His improvement in the outfield has helped Marmol in building the lineup daily. Marmol told reporters that he has more confidence putting Burleson in the outfield instead of just at first base or DH.
“He’s putting in the work, and it’s good to see him out there making some plays,” Marmol told reporters during the Cubs series. “The range is improving, allowing him to get to some more plays. It does help us to not only be able to play him at first base and DH, but also being able to put him out there [in right field] from time to time. That frees up that DH spot.”
Perfect Timing for Hot Streak
Burleson’s combination of a hot bat and big plays in the outfield have come at a perfect time for the Cardinals. Their most potent bat in Ivan Herrera will be out at least through the All-Star Break. Walker has been in and out of the lineup with minor injuries, most recently appendicitis. Burleson has filled both the role of the dangerous bat in the heart of the lineup and solid defense in the outfield.
Burleson has jumped at an opportunity to help the club win.
“I don’t care [what position] it’s at,” Burleson told Woo. “I want to play every day, I want to be right in the middle of the order producing with this team.”
The Cardinals are in a tight division and Wild Card race. In their final four series before the All-Star Break, three of them are against teams with losing records. One is against the N.L. Central leading Cubs. Burleson and the Cardinals have a chance to close out strong before the break. Which in turn will make the decision harder for the organization on if they want to buy or sell at the end of the month.
Main Photo Credits: Joe Puetz-Imagn Images
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