With the trade of Willson Contreras to the Boston Red Sox, the St. Louis Cardinals opened the door for Alec Burleson to stick at first base long term. A position that he played sparingly through his first three seasons with the team, but when Paul Goldschmidt departed ahead of last season, the Cardinals' lefty saw a rise in usage at the position, but it was never fully his spot as the Cardinals moved Contreras to the position in an effort to keep their slugger healthy. The Cardinals have since moved into a rebuild and look to become younger, and that effort opened the door for Burleson to naturally take over first base duties this year and keep his outfield glove in his bag.
During his media availability at the Cardinals’ annual Winter Warm-Up, Burleson was asked about his outfield glove and if he had a “ceremonial burning” of the leather yet. “No, not yet, cause obviously going into last year it was ‘you’re gonna split time with Willson at first base,’ and that ended up being more innings, I think, in the outfield than at first base,” the Cardinals first baseman said. “No, I haven’t burned it yet. I’m gonna be ready to play some outfield in case something happens. But, you know, excited to hopefully stick at first base for a while.”
Coming off his Silver Slugger-winning season, Burleson looks to continue to be a rock in the Cardinals' lineup and build upon his performance last year. While he becomes one of the most consistent hitters in the Cardinals' lineup, the roster turnover this winter has placed him firmly as one of the team’s veterans.
“Somebody’s got to,” Burleson said when asked about stepping up as a leader in the clubhouse. “It is gonna take everybody stepping up.” He acknowledged that the team is going to have to build a culture, and with the core group being young, it will take more than just him to build that culture. “I want to be that guy that people go to,” Burleson continued. “Obviously, I’m still learning, I’m still trying to make adjustments in this league. So, any of my experiences I can give to these guys, and kind of show them the way and make their adjustment a little bit easier and seamless, that's what I want to do.”
Burleson is shaping up to be one of the Cardinals' biggest gears in the machine that is attempting to turn around the organization. This season can be a big step up for the Cardinals slugger as he takes on a new role after making his debut alongside Yadier Molina and Albert Pujols in 2022.
Watch Burleson's entire interview on the STL Sports Central YouTube channel.