Alec Burleson Reaches Historic RBI Mark Not Seen From Cardinals Lefty Since Stan Musial

The St. Louis Cardinals first baseman has had a season for the ages.

Sep 26, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Alec Burleson (41) reacts after hitting a solo home run in the third inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The St. Louis Cardinals have gotten a season for ages from first baseman Alec Burleson, to say the least.

Burleson shifted over to first base before the 2026 season and has surpassed any expectations. Burleson has been good defensively, and even better offensively. In fact, the 27-year-old just put his name in a conversation with Cardinals great Stan Musial. So, clearly, he's doing something right.

On Saturday, Burleson blasted his 26th homer of the season and in the process, drove in his Major League Baseball-leading 116th run as well. His 116 RBIs are the most of any left-handed hitter for the Cardinals since Musial had 126 back in 1954.

"Alec Burleson makes it an MLB-leading 116 RBIs with a solo shot deep into the distant right-field seats off his former teammate Dustin May," Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch wrote. "Burleson's 116 RBIs are the most by a left-handed Cardinals batter since Stan Musial's 126 in 1954."

Alec Burleson Has Had A Special Season

Sep 26, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Alec Burleson (41) reacts after hitting a solo home run in the third inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It's unfortunate that the Cardinals weren't able to take a bigger step forward as a club this season and make it back to the postseason. St. Louis will finish the 2026 season below .500 for the second straight season. That, in itself, is wild and it is the first time St. Louis has finished two straight seasons below .500 since 1958-59.

Still, there have clearly been bright spots, like Burleson's elite season. Burleson won a Silver Slugger Award last year when he was still being used in a utility role. This year, he took over at first base and is slashing .279/.343/.473 with an .816 OPS, 26 homers, 116 RBIs, 37 doubles, one triple and 89 runs scored in 160 games played.

On Sunday, the Cardinals will finish the 2026 regular season with a matchup against the Milwaukee Brewers. After that, a long offseason will begin with plenty of decisions to be made. St. Louis has missed the playoffs in four straight seasons.

There's work that needs to be done to fix that, like adding bullpen help. For the Cardinals, another thing that should be done this winter is locking up Burleson with a long-term extension. The former second-round pick is just 27 years old and he has two seasons of team control left. He has shown what he can do and has just gotten better each year over the last few seasons. He's the exact type of player the Cardinals should be investing in right now.

Any time you can have your name mentioned with Musial, that means you're doing something special.