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2026 Fantasy Baseball Player Profile

Alec Burleson officially solidified himself as a middle-of-the-order anchor for the Cardinals in 2025, taking home his first career Silver Slugger Award. Despite a brief late-season stint on the injured list with right wrist inflammation, Burleson finished the year with a career-best .290/.343/.459 slash line, 18 home runs, and 69 RBI across 132 games. Most importantly, the 27-year-old left-hander dismantled the "platoon" label by slashing a respectable .271 against left-handed pitching, a significant improvement from his prior career mark of .209. His elite contact skills remained on full display, as he ranked in the 92nd percentile in batting average and maintained a low 14.5% strikeout rate while increasing his barrel rate to a career-high 9.4%.

As the Cardinals pivot toward a rebuild in 2026, Burleson enters the season as the projected everyday first baseman following the offseason trade of Willson Contreras to Boston. Having recently signed a one-year, $3.3 million deal to avoid arbitration, he is expected to hit in the heart of a young St. Louis lineup alongside Masyn Winn and Iván Herrera. Fantasy managers should view him as a high-value source of batting average and counting stats with an ADP currently sitting around 184. With dual 1B and OF eligibility, Burleson offers excellent roster flexibility and a high floor for those seeking a steady producer who won't hurt their strikeout totals.