Alec Burleson

The Cardinals had disappointments up and down their lineup last season, but Burleson was a bright spot, leading the team with 78 RBI and finishing one off the club lead with his 21 home runs. Seventeen of those long balls came before the All-Star break, as Burleson trailed off badly in the second half, particularly in September. He also had just a .514 OPS against left-handed pitching and rarely played versus southpaws down the stretch, so a strong-side platoon in 2025 appears likely. A .292/.341/.464 line against righties makes Burleson well suited for such a role, and a 12.8 percent strikeout rate and above-average batted-ball metrics means he's a good bet for batting average. Too many grounders and Busch Stadium as his home park could make him a merely adequate power source, however. Read Past Outlooks