Mike Matheny Won't Let St. Louis Cardinals Draft His Son

The St. Louis Cardinals are an organization that is deeply rooted in history. The team also has an eye on the future. It has a strong scouting department. It has built a sustainable franchise that is the envy of the league through the draft.

Tate Matheny, the son of Cardinals manager Mike Matheny, will likely find himself chosen in baseball's amateur draft this spring. The young outfielder will be a junior at Missouri State University this year. He is quickly drawing attention as one of the best at his position.

Take one glance at Matheny's profile page on the Missouri State University website and you'll quickly notice the accolades piling up. In 2014 alone, Matheny was named to the All-MVC Championship team, the MVC All-Defensive team, First-Team All-MVC and the ABCA Second-Team All-Midwest Region. On top of that, he became Missouri State's first player to be named to the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team since Ryan Howard earned that honor.

He is highly regarded for his speed and defense. His power numbers are coming around as well. He became the first MSU Bear to hit more than nine home runs in a season since 2009. He ranks high in almost every offensive category of his conference. He has been named a preseason All-American by Baseball America and Perfect Game for 2015.

Yet, with all the awards, the statistics and the positive scouting reports, it appears that one team has already crossed Tate Matheny off its early-season shopping list. Stan McNeal of Fox Sports Midwest shared what Mike Matheny told reporters at a recent event promoting his new book:

"

The answer to your question is no, the Cardinals are not allowed to draft him. It's not fair to him. It really isn't. There would be too much on him and there would always be that little bit of (wonder) that it wasn't all that he did, that it had something to do with me.

"

While true, it's quite the deviation from the normal Cardinals operating practice. They have drafted players in the past that are related to current staff members or players. As a matter of fact, Tate Matheny himself was drafted by the Cardinals a few years ago, prior to making the decision to attend college first.

Matheny does not currently project to be a first-round prospect. Matt Garrioch of SB Nation's Minor League Ball has him ranked 119 of all prospects expected to be drafted in 2015. That still places him well within the first four rounds.

It's rare to see a club admit it is not interested in a player, especially one from its own state. McNeal reports that the Cardinals will honor their manager's request, though they will continue to scout his son. Things can change prior to the June draft, but it appears the team will steer clear of the young Matheny.

It will be many years before fans know if this decision comes back to hurt the Cardinals.

Statistic and award information in this article is sourced from the Missouri State Bears website.

Bill Ivie is the founder of I-70 Baseball. Follow him on Twitter to discuss baseball anytime.