Mike Matheny OK with Bud Norris' Treatment of Rookie Jordan Hicks over Mistakes

St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Matheny reportedly has "respect" for veteran pitcher Bud Norris' decision to hassle teammate Jordan Hicks this season.

Mark Saxon of The Athletic published a report Wednesday detailing Norris' treatment of his younger teammate (h/t Jack Baer of Yahoo Sports). The report indicated "The 33-year-old Norris has been mercilessly riding 21-year-old rookie Jordan Hicks since spring training, reminding him to be at meetings on time and publicly calling him out when he is lagging in any of the details a visitor might not notice, but other players do."

Matheny was asked if Hicks will appreciate the treatment as his career progresses and said, "Probably not. But Bud's going to do continue to do what he thinks is right as a veteran, so you respect that."

Hicks did not offer comment on the treatment, but Saxon said the right-hander "isn't a fan of the treatment."

The report points to some of the reasons Norris has targeted Hicks in particular, with one being the fact the hard-throwing reliever didn't pay any dues in Double-A and Triple-A by skipping straight to the major leagues. What's more, he was initially optioned to minor league camp because he was late multiple times before his talent was too much to ignore.

Norris hasn't limited his approach to just Hicks, though, as Saxon noted the veteran has reported other perceived infractions to his manager. Matheny has gone as far as to fine players based on reports from Norris.

This is far from the only drama involving Matheny and one of the Cardinals players this season, as Saxon also reported the manager hasn't talked with outfielder Dexter Fowler for months.

The lack of communication between manager and player comes in light of president of baseball operations John Mozeliak publicly questioning the effort level from Fowler, per Bill Baer of NBC Sports.

As for Hicks and Norris, the reported treatment hasn't stopped either from posting formidable numbers this season. Hicks is a fireballer who throws more than 100 mph on a consistent basis and sports a 2.56 ERA and 1.07 WHIP with 39 strikeouts in 45.2 innings.

Norris has a 2.87 ERA and 0.93 WHIP as the team's closer, although his performance stands in stark contrast to the rest of his career. He has never finished with an ERA lower than 3.65 and posted one higher than 4.20 in six of the previous nine seasons.