Cardinals' standout proving to be MLB's top target at first base

When Baseball Savant recently revealed a new statistical analysis to better evaluate the defensive effectiveness of MLB first basemen, it proved something that the Cardinals already knew: Alec Burleson is quickly blossoming as a star defensively at first base.

Finally back at his natural position after bouncing around the outfield while Paul Goldschmidt and Willson Contreras played ahead of him at first base, Burleson has proven to be a good target for infielders to throw to in 2026.

In terms of Baseball Savant's Receiving Outs Above Average Index at first base, Burleson's 7 rating nearly doubles that of the next closest first basemen. Ten-time All-Star and former Gold Glove winner Freddie Freeman is tied for second with 4 Receiving Outs Above Average. Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz, a big target at 6-foot-5, also has 4 ROAA, and so does Rangers first baseman and St. Louis native Jake Burger.

Goldschmidt, who starred in St. Louis from 2019-24 before signing with the Yankees, has four Gold Glove awards in his career, but his ROAA rating in 2026 is just 2. Contreras, who was traded from the Cardinals to the Red Sox in December, has a 1 ROAA rating. Meanwhile, three-time Gold Glove winners Christian Walker (2 ROAA) and Matt Olson (0 ROAA) are far behind Burleson's gold standard at first base in terms of receiving throws. 

The 6-foot-tall Burleson received MLB's highest marks for catching balls on target (1-7 feet high and plus/minus 5 feet wide of the bag) and snagging balls that bounce more than 15 feet from first base. On scoop throws that bounce closer than 15 feet from the base, Burleson ranks third in MLB. His 536 outs recorded at first base rank second only to Cubs first baseman Michael Busch.

Ranked first in MLB with 32 doubles and second in RBI with 99, Burleson could be on his way to winning a second straight Silve Slugger award -- this time at the premier first base position after snagging the utility award in 2025. Could a Gold Glove be coming at some point in the future for the 27-year-old Burleson.

If he could snag a Silve Slugger award and a Gold Glove award in the same season, he would join Cardinals Hall of Famers Keith Hernandez (1980), Willie McGee (1985), Scott Rolen (2002), Jim Edmonds (2004), Albert Pujols (2010) and Yadier Molina (2013) and future Cards Hall of Famer Nolan Arenado (2022) in collecting the top fielding and top hitting honors in the same season.