SAN FRANCISCO -- The numbers bear it out that Cardinals first baseman/outfielder Alec Burleson is good at hitting curveballs, but this one caught him looking, and, quite frankly, he never saw it coming.
Informed before the game that manager Oliver Marmol considers him to be one of the building blocks around which the Cardinals should construct their roster in the future, the usually loquacious Burleson was somewhat in shock. As someone who has usually had to fight for his roster spot in Spring Training, Burleson was delighted to hear the praise that the Cardinals skipper had for him before the final week of the 2025 season.
“Wow, that’s kind of the first time I’ve heard that from someone who … maybe he doesn’t make the decisions, but helps with them,” a somewhat stunned Burleson said before hammering out three hits in the Cardinals’ 6-5 defeat of the Giants on Monday night at Oracle Park. “I feel like my whole career, I’ve had to prove that I can hit at this level, and that’s had its ups and downs. But hearing that kind of caught me off guard.”
Iván Herrera drilled his 18th home run -- and his seventh of September --to tie the game at 4 in what proved to be a four-run fifth inning against 42-year-old right-hander Justin Verlander, who had blanked the Cardinals over six innings on Sept. 6. José Fermín, who drove in three runs in Sunday’s defeat of the Brewers, added two doubles, while Burleson delivered his team-leading 37th multi-hit game of the season.
Battling all season to stay in the playoff race, the Cardinals pulled into a tie with the Giants at 3 1/2 games behind the Reds and Mets for the final Wild Card spot in the National League.
“I love the fact that they’re not going to give in,” Marmol said. “Part of that is you have some young guys who want to show you that they belong up here and they’re going to compete every out, and it leads to games like this. They’re just not going to give in, and we’re going to play it all the way through and see where we’re at, but it’s been fun to watch them compete.”
Burleson has been competing at the plate and in the field all season, earning him a spot in the everyday lineup even as the Cardinals have rotated players in the outfield and at first base, with Willson Contreras (right biceps tightness) going down injured. At .293 after Monday’s three hits -- his team-best 37th multi-hit game -- Burleson ranks third in the National League in batting average. His 141 hits lead the Cardinals, while his 18 home runs are tied with Herrera for second on the team.
All that offense -- combined with some vastly improved defense -- and Burleson has certainly earned his way into Marmol’s circle of trust when it comes to this season and the future of the Cardinals.
“He’s proven that he can be a part of what we’re building,” Marmol said with a vote of confidence that stunned Burleson. “He understood that improving his defense was important, and we’re seeing a better version of him out there. You rarely, if ever, see a ball hit to him where he doesn’t throw to the right base or hit the cut-off man.
“I think you’ll see an offseason where he will get better about how he’s moving and his overall body. And he’s been tremendous for us offensively.”
Even after a breakout season at the plate in 2024, Burleson took the next step with his game in 2025 by being more selective at the plate. Gifted with exceptional bat-to-ball skills regardless of the pitch location, the Cards have worked with Burleson to get him to only swing at pitches that he can drive for damage. This season, Burleson is chasing pitches out of the strike zone just 28.6% compared to 34.5% in 2024.
As a result of that improved discipline, his squared-up rate (32.9%) ranks in MLB’s top 95th percentile and his strikeout rate (14.3%), whiff rate (17.9%) and average exit velocity (91.1 mph) rank in the 86th, 85th and 75th percentiles, respectively.
His success at the plate -- and the confidence shown in him by Marmol and others -- has helped Burleson feel good about the security that he has earned himself.
“I feel like my whole career it’s been me proving that I can help this team win,” he said. “I had an OK season last year, but I went into spring feeling I was pushed, which is not a bad thing. It’s been a battle, but I feel like I’m just getting started, and I’m going to continue to play with that chip on my shoulder.”