Graduated from East Lincoln High School in Denver, N.C., where he earned five high school letters (Four baseball, one basketball)...Three-time North Carolina 2A All-State Team (2015-17)...Struck out only eight times in his final three years of playing high school baseball...Played college baseball at East Carolina University...Became the fourth ECU Pirate to be drafted by the Cardinals, joining pitchers Seth Maness (11th round in 2011), Evan Kruczynski (ninth round in 2017), and Chris Holba (11th round in 2018)...As the 70th overall draft pick in 2020, Burleson became the fourth-highest draftee in school history...Was a two-way player at ECU, owning a .341 career batting average and 3.47 career ERA...Started 107 of 116 games at East Carolina while playing four different positions (1B, DH, LF, RF), batting .341 with 12 HR and 91 RBI over his career...Also pitched and went 13-5 with a 3.47 ERA (137.2 IP), 139 strikeouts and nine saves...Named 2020 First Team Preseason All-American Utility Player by Collegiate Baseball...2019 finalist for the John Olerud National Player of the Year Award...Played for the 2019 USA Collegiate National Team, receiving the USA Baseball International Performance-of-the-Year award for his walk-off home run against Japan...Played for the Bourne Braves in the 2019 Cape Cod League...Named Most Outstanding Player (.383, 10 HR, 44 RBI) of the Cal Ripken League for the Bethesda Big Train during the summer of 2018...Was a First Team CoSIDA Academic All-American and a seven-time East Carolina Director of Athletics Honor Roll Member...Signed by T.C. Calhoun...Resides in Greenville, N.C. with his wife, Mary Shea, and son.
2025
Batting Average (.290, sixth), % Pitches Put In Play (22.0, fifth), 3+ Hit Games (12, tied-seventh), PA/Strikeout (6.91, 13th), Squared-Up Rate (32.9, seventh)...Won the National League’s Silver Slugger Award among utility players. Established single-season career highs in batting average (.290), on-base percentage (.343), slugging (.459), OPS (.802), doubles (26), triples (two) and extra-base hits (46), while bashing 18 home runs with 69 RBI...Burleson (.290, .459) was one of just four National Leaguers to hit at least .290 and slug at least .450 with Freddie Freeman (.295, .502), Trea Turner (.304, .457) and Geraldo Perdomo (.290, .462)...Was one of 15 qualifying Major League batters to bat .290 or higher. Ranked fourth among MLB left-handed batters in batting, while his .296 batting average vs. right-handed pitchers ranked 12th in MLB...At Busch Stadium, led the Cardinals in batting average (.302), OBP (.358), slugging (.500), OPS (.858), hits (63), extra-base hits (27), and total bases (121), co-led in homers (10), and ranked 2nd in RBI (38) and doubles (16)...Registered career-high four hits Aug. 25 vs. Pittsburgh, including walk-off solo homer in ninth inning for his first career walk-off RBI...Burleson (.290, sixth) and Brendan Donovan (.287, ninth) joined Philadelphia's Trea Turner (.304, first) and Alec Bohm (.287, 10th), and Milwaukee's Sal Frelick (.288, seventh) and Brice Turang (.288, eighth) as pairs of teammates in the National League Top 10 in batting. Burleson and Donovan were the first pair of Cardinals to finish in the NL Top 10 in batting since Paul Goldschmidt (.317, third) and Nolan Arenado (.293, sixth) in 2022...Appeared defensively at First Base (50 games), Left Field (41 games), and Right Field (34 games)...Missed nine games with right wrist inflammation (Aug. 29-Sept. 7). Batted .333/.368/.519 (18-for-54) with two doubles, one triple, and two homers over a 12-game span before his Injured List stint.
2024
NL Ranks: Plate Appearance/Strikeout (7.83, 5th), Strikeout Percentage (12.8, 5th), Line Drives (122, 10th). Percentage Pitches Put In Play (22.6%, 2nd), Go-Ahead Home Runs (11, T-6th)...Established single-season career highs in every offensive category, while leading the Cardinals in RBI (78) and ranking second in home runs (21)...His 78 RBI were the lowest full-season total to lead the Cardinals since 1986 when Tommy Herr & Andy Van Slyke shared the team lead with 61 runs batted in...St. Louis was 34-14 (.708) in games when Burleson drove in at least one run and 16-4 (.800) in his 20 multiple-RBI games...Recorded 45 RBI over a two-month span from June 1-July 31, third-most in MLB behind Aaron Judge (54) and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (47)...His 53 RBI pre-All-Star Break were the most by a Cardinals left-handed batting outfielder since Jim Edmonds (56 in 2004)...Recorded 10 game-winning RBI, before the All-Star break, most by a Cardinal since Yadier Molina (10 in 2021) & most by Cardinals left-handed batter since Rick Ankiel (10 in 2008)...Batted .292 (121-for-414) off right-handed pitching (sixth in the NL & 14th in MLB)...Led Major League Baseball in batting average (.391, 36-for-92) against off-speed pitches, third-highest by a Cardinal since 2008, trailing Nolan Arenado (.414, 24-for-58) in 2021 and Albert Pujols (.394, 26-for-66) in 2009...Ranked third in MLB in batting average when facing pitchers the second time in a game (.362, 47-for-130) and eighth the third time in a game (.346, 28-for-81)...16 of 21 homers and 55 of 78 RBI came while batting 2nd in the lineup...Batted team-leading .327 (90-275) in Cardinals wins (77) but .210 (57-272) in losses (75)...Hit safely in 96-of-135 starts (.272, 144-for-530), but .176 (3-for-17) in 17 games off the bench...His three-run home run at the New York Mets on April 26 was his 100th career hit...Slashed .422/.435/.600 (19-for-45) over a career-high 11-game hitting streak from May 14-27...From June 2-4, joined Nolan Gorman to become the first set of Cardinals teammates ever to each homer in the same consecutive three-game span...Batted .291/.321/.495 (30-for-103) in July, with six homers and career high 25 RBI (5th in MLB)...Had an RBI in a career-high six straight games from July 13-21...Belted 17 of 21 home runs before the All-Star Break. Ended the season on a 38-game homer less drought, 2nd-longest of MLB career (47 games from Aug. 4, 2023-April 23, 2024).
2023
Played the entire season on the Major League roster before a season-ending injury while stealing third base vs. Milwaukee (9/19), fracturing his left thumb. Surgery was performed by Dr. Charles Goldfarb...Finished the season with a .273 BA post All-Star Break, second on the Cardinals behind Willson Contreras (.309)...Was 0-for-4 on Opening Day vs. Toronto (3/30) then ran off a career-best 10-game hitting streak (4/2-4/15), T-7th longest on the Cardinals...Ranked 6th among National League rookies with 20 doubles...Broke two scoreless shutouts with a solo home run in the seventh inning or later as the game-winning RBI (4/27 at SF & 6/7 at TEX)...Homered in back-to-back games vs. MIN (8/2-3)...Ranked eighth among National League players in Toughest to Strike Out at 7.71 PA/K...Did not go more than three games with an official at-bat without recording a hit...Put 22.1% of pitches swung at in play, seventh in the National League and trailing only Tommy Edman (sixth, 22.2%) among Cardinals...Hit all eight home runs against right-handed pitchers. Still batted .259 (7-27) vs. LHP as opposed to .243 (70-288) vs. RHP...Was one of nine players in MLB to accumulate a 1.000 fielding percentage (min. 200 total chances)...Ranked third among all Cardinals outfielders with five outfield assists (Walker 8, Nootbaar 6)...Received his first ejection at CHI (7/21) after grounding into an inning ending double play, taking exception on ball and strike calls with home plate umpire Ron Kulpa...Twice pitched in mop-up relief: 6/29 vs. HOU (1.0 IP/4 runs) and 7/4 at MIA (0.2 IP/0 runs).
2022
Began the season at Memphis (AAA) and played 109 games before getting selected to the Major League roster on Sept. 7...Appeared in 16 games in St. Louis, playing 11 games in the outfield (all starts) between left field and right field, with six appearances and one start at first base. ..Led all Cardinals minor league players and the International League with a .331 batting average. Ranked 2nd in Triple-A and 6th overall among full-season minor league players. ..Named Cardinals Minor League Player of the Month for May 2022 batting .357 with (35-98) with 5 HR, 24 RBI and eight doubles. ..Batted over .300 in three different months (May .357, June .358 and July .311)...In the clutch, batted .378 with runners in scoring position (45-119) with 65 of his 87 RBI...Did not go more than two consecutive games without a hit at Memphis...Posted two multi-home run games at Memphis (4/13 at Charlotte & 6/15 vs. Nashville). Also tallied a season-high six RBI at Charlotte (4/13). ..Was the fastest player promotion from the 2020 Cardinals draft class, making the Major League roster before the completion of his second full minor league season...Became the 13th and final Cardinals player to make his MLB debut of the season. Was leading the International League in RBI (87), hits (143) and total bases (230) at the time of his promotion...Made his Major League debut with the Cardinals on Sept. 8 vs. Washington and recorded his first Major League hit at Pittsburgh (9/8), a single off Duane Underwood, Jr. ..Hit first career MLB home run vs. LAD (9/23) at Dodger Stadium off position player Hanser Alberto, a 405' shot into the right field pavilion. Was the first MLB player to homer off a position player since Jason Martin (TEX) homered off Andy Burns vs. LAD (6/12/21)...The home run started off a season-high four-game hitting streak (9/23-10/2).
2021
Entered the season ranked as the No. 26 prospect in the Cardinals organization by Baseball America... Batted combined .270/.329/.454 with 22 home runs and 76 RBI in 119 games between Peoria (High-A), Springfield (AA), and Memphis (AAA) in his first season playing in the organization after being drafted in 2020... Ranked among organizational leaders in games (T-1st), plate appearances (503, 2nd), at-bats (456, 2nd), hits (123, 2nd), home runs (4th), RBI (2nd), and total bases (207, 3rd)… Appeared defensively in 75 games in right field, 29 games in left field, and one game at first base... Slugged 18 homers over his first 74 professional games between Peoria and Springfield... Named Cardinals Minor League Player of the Month for May, hitting .317/.394/.610 (26-82) with seven home runs, 19 RBI and a 1.003 OPS in 21 games to open the season... Made his professional debut on 5/4, drawing a pair of walks for High-A Peoria at Cedar Rapids... Hit .286/.367/.595 (12-42) with four homers in his first 11 games before being promoted to Springfield (AA) on 5/17... Promoted to Memphis (AAA) on 8/3... Homered and drove in six runs in 13-12 loss to Nashville (8/22).
