With his 100th RBI of the season on Sunday, Alec Burleson joined Cardinals' legends Keith Hernandez, Jim Edmonds, Albert Pujols, Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado with triple digits in run production. Burleson's previous high for RBI came in 2024 when he drove in 78 runs.
Keith Hernandez, Jim Edmonds, Albert Pujols, Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado … and Alec Burleson?
Burleson, MLB’s leader in doubles and second in RBI, joined some Cardinals royalty on Sunday when he drove in his 100th run of the season in St. Louis’ 5-4 loss to the Pirates.
By hitting the triple figures mark in RBI, Burleson became the first Cardinals player since Goldschmidt and Arenado in 2022 – the National League MVP and third-place finisher, respectively, that season – with at least 100 RBI.
Burleson, a second-round pick by the Cardinals in 2020, also became the first home-grown organizational player with 100 RBI since Pujols in 2010, a season when he finished second in MPV voting after leading the league in RBI (118), runs (115), homers (42), intentional walks (38) and WAR (7.5).
As for Edmonds, Burleson is the first left-handed hitter for the Cardinals with 100 RBI since the flashy, slick-fielding center fielder did it in 2004, a season where slugged 42 homers and 38 doubles, batted .301 and drove in 11 runs in a 171 OPS+ season.
Then, there’s Hernandez, the Cardinals’ last left-handed first baseman to drive in at least 100 runs (105), doing so during his MLB-winning season of 1979 when he also led the NL in batting average (.344) and doubles (48) to go with his 11 homers and 11 triples.
Heady company indeed for the mild-mannered Burleson, who would much rather hit baseballs than talk about his own accomplishments even though he is enjoying the most productive season of his five-year MLB career. He ranks first on the Cardinals in hits (150), doubles (33) and batting average (.288) and he ranks second to Jordan Walker or Ivan Herrera in homers (21), on-base percentage (.353), slugging (.476), OPS (.829) and OPS+ (135). Cincinnati's Sal Stewart (105) and Burleson (100) are the only two players in MLB with at least 100 RBI.
“It’s pretty cool, but (100 RBI are) not easy to do,” said Burleson, whose Cardinals (68-70) are off on Monday before taking on the Dodgers (82-55) in Los Angeles on Tuesday night. “Credit to all the guys in front of me, getting on base for me and (third base coach Ron) Pop (Warner) for sending them. But, yeah, it’s pretty cool.”
Burleson’s consistency has come as the injury-riddled Cardinals have fallen five games out in the chase for a Wild Card spot in the playoff race. St. Louis has dropped seven of 10 games and lost consecutive home series against the Pirates and Orioles. Infielders JJ Wetherholt (right wrist tendinitis), Masyn Winn (fractured left thumb) and Blaze Jordan (left ankle sprain) and pitchers Andre Pallante (right elbow inflammation) and Hunter Dobbins (right forearm pain) have gone on the Injured List recently, sapping the Cardinals of much of their firepower as they have struggled of late.
Burleson, however, has thrived at the plate when many others seem to be wearing down physically during the dog days of the season. Burleson’s 29 RBI in August are the most in baseball, and he ranks sixth in batting average (.311), seventh in on-base percentage (.388), sixth in slugging (.544), fourth in OPS (.932), tied for 10th in doubles (six) and tied for 11th in homers (six).
Usually, those kinds of all-around numbers would make Burleson a shoe-in for the NL’s Player of the Month, but he’s likely to lose out on the award to Cubs star center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, who is making a push to win the NL’s MVP award and has 12 homers and 26 RBI in August.
Burleson, 27, said he would happily sacrifice the awards for the Cardinals to be locked into a playoff spot. He hasn’t been a part of a playoff team since his rookie season of 2022 when he hit his first MLB homer on the same night that Pujols smacked Nos. 699 and 700 in Los Angeles against the Dodgers.
Burleson had to fight and claw just to make the Cardinals Opening Day roster in 2023 and ’24, and he did so as a converted outfielder who showed tremendous promise as a hitter. His breakout season came in 2024 when he set career highs in homers (21), hits (147) and RBI (78).
Burleson won his first Silver Slugger award in 2025 when he batted .290 with 26 doubles, 18 homers and 69 RBI while splitting time between left field, right field and first base.
This season, he was allowed to move into his natural position at first base, and his production has skyrocketed. He hit a game-winning homer on Opening Day, drove in 20 runs in April and then sarcastically joked that he was “waiting for temperatures to hit 100 degrees in St. Louis” while slogging through May with just 13 RBI. Since then, he has driven in 19 (June), 14 (July) and 29 runs (August) over the past three months to get himself into triple digits.
He said getting to 100 RBI in a Cardinals uniform means something special to him considering how he’s had to prove himself at nearly every turn that he belongs in the starting lineup every day.
“I’ve been with the Cardinals my entire career, and I’ve kind of been in a bunch of different roles in my career, and it feels good to be able to contribute every day,” said Burleson, who has driven in runs in 60 of the 137 games he’s played in. “I wish it had been a in a little bit more winning. But, I’m going to do my best every day to put this team in a position to have success. If that’s playing good defense or driving in runs, I guess I’m going to do that.”
