Burleson had himself a brilliant run in the Major Leagues, from his rookie season of 1974 though the strike-shortened 1981 season before injuries abruptly cut-short his career, even though he did continue to play until 1987.
Named to four all-star teams, he also took home a Gold Glove in 1979 and a Silver Slugger in 1981, while getting some MVP attention in four different seasons.
The 1977 season would be his best when he collected 194 hits while leading the league with 663 at-bats, with a .293 average, 36 doubles and 80 runs scored.
After his initial season with the California Angels in 1981, he went through injuries that kept him from playing full-time, never appearing in more than 93 games in any one season between 1982 and 1987, the last of which was with the Baltimore Orioles.
Once he did retire after 13 Major League seasons, he finished with a batting average of .273, with 1401 hits and 656 runs scored over 5139 at-bats and 1346 games, and one cool nickname!
