'Very impressive': Burleson thriving at the plate in No. 2 spot

ST. LOUIS -- Back in Spring Training, when it looked like blossoming Cardinals slugger Alec Burleson just might be the odd outfielder out, he responded to the questions about his future with a bold declaration.

¡°I¡¯m going to hit,¡± Burleson said with conviction. ¡°I know that, and I know that I¡¯m gonna hit in this league for a long time. I just need opportunities, and I need to cash in on those opportunities. But, like I said, I¡¯m going to hit and I¡¯m going to hit in this league for a long time.¡±

From where he sits right now -- even after the Cardinals were swept in a doubleheader following a 6-4 loss in Game 1 and an 8-5 loss in Game 2 against the Royals on Wednesday -- Burleson is first on the team in RBIs (48), slugging (.472) and OPS (.790), and he¡¯s second in home runs (15) and batting average (.282) while compiling the club¡¯s third best on-base percentage (.318).

Burleson is hitting as he predicted -- even when he looked to be the fifth outfielder several months ago. Not only has Burleson hit, but he¡¯s hit so well in recent months that he¡¯s been locked into the club¡¯s coveted No. 2 spot in the lineup. Prior to Burleson¡¯s ascension, that space was reserved solely for superstar first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, who has since been moved below Burleson.

¡°That¡¯s where I want to be, right, because that¡¯s the spot everybody wants to hit,¡± said Burleson, who faced off against Royals MVP candidate Bobby Witt Jr. in the Kansas City No. 2 slot on Wednesday. ¡°I kind of look at that [promotion] as my ability to do different things. Coming up in the Minor Leagues, I was always in that number 3, 4 or 5 spot as an RBI [producer]. But now I¡¯m understanding that the No. 2 hole is one where you still want to bang the ball around, but you also need to get on base because there are people behind me who can drive me in.

¡°I take a lot of pride in being in that spot. You take a look at who our No. 2 hole hitter has been the last few years in [Goldschmidt], so I¡¯m grateful for it and I want to stick there by producing.¡±

He produced in both of St. Louis¡¯ losses on Wednesday. Burleson, who was the Cardinals¡¯ hottest hitter in June with seven home runs, drilled a two-run homer in the third inning of Game 1 to give the Cards a 3-0 lead -- a lead they would squander two innings later. The two-run home run pushed Burleson¡¯s RBI total to 47, and it gave him 23 RBIs since June 18, one more than the Blue Jays¡¯ Vladimir Guerrero Jr. for the most in baseball in that span.

In the nightcap, Burleson ripped Michael Wacha¡¯s vaunted changeup off the top of the wall in right-center for a double that got the Redbirds within 5-3 in the fifth. The ball left Burleson¡¯s bat at 104.9 mph, per Statcast, coming up just short of a home run -- which would have been Burleson¡¯s third in as many games. He hit a blast in three straight from June 2-4 when his hot streak seemed to coincide with the Cardinals¡¯ National League-best 33-18 run before Wednesday¡¯s two losses.

¡°Burly is a really good hitter and he repeats his swing really well,¡± said superstar third baseman Nolan Arenado, who homered in Game 1. ¡°And his bat-to-ball skills are elite. He¡¯s only going to continue to get better once he shrinks the strike zone. It¡¯s been very impressive watching him.¡±

Lars Nootbaar, who fractured his ribs in Spring Training before dealing with an oblique strain that both opened the door for Burleson to find consistent playing time, added: ¡°It doesn¡¯t really matter where the ball is because [Burleson] can get his barrel to it. It¡¯s a skill that¡¯s pretty impressive. You can¡¯t really teach that.¡±

Burleson takes pride in how he was able to take advantage of the opportunity granted to him when others seemingly ahead of him in the outfield rotation went down with injuries. He has 17 RBIs with two outs and his 15 RBIs in his past 10 games at Busch Stadium are big reasons why the Cardinals were able to go from a season worst nine games below .500 to a season best six games over .500 prior to Wednesday¡¯s two losses.

¡°I kind of proved myself last year toward the end of the year, and I feel like it was just a matter of getting those consistent ABs to prove it,¡± Burleson said. ¡°Early in the year, I was in the lineup, but I wasn¡¯t getting the results. But I stuck to it while knowing I had to take a couple of steps forward for guys who went down. But I knew I¡¯d be able to hit if I ever got the opportunities.¡±