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 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 innings), 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 Stanley, N.C. with his wife Mary Shea.
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).
