ST. LOUIS -- To truly become the hitter he always thought he could be and earn the affirmation that a Silver Slugger Award provides, Cardinals outfielder/first baseman Alec Burleson had to shed the stubbornness of thinking he could hit any pitch and combine a heavy dose of patience with some self-discipline.

Even though he arrived at Spring Training in 2024 without an everyday spot in the lineup, Burleson had a true breakout season by smashing 21 home runs and driving in 78 runs in 152 games. However, his ceiling was somewhat lowered -- and his second half badly stunted -- by chasing 34.5 percent of pitches out of the strike zone, per Baseball Savant .

When Burleson addressed his impatience at the plate -- dropping that chase rate to 28.8 percent in 2025 -- his offensive numbers so

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