The Boston Red Sox on Tuesday used the 111th overall pick in the 2015 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft to select center fielder Tate Matheny — a player whose surname should sound very familiar to baseball fans.
Matheny, a Missouri State product, is the son of former Gold Glove catcher and current St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Matheny. St. Louis originally selected the younger Matheny out of high school in the 2012 draft but passed over him this year at his father’s request.
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John Farrell, who managed against Matheny and the Cardinals in the 2013 World Series, said he send his fellow skipper a congratulatory text after the selection was announced.
“There’s probably a number of things that run through your mind,” Farrell, who has two sons currently playing in the minors, told reporters in Baltimore, via ESPN.com. “First and foremost, you’re proud of what they’re able to accomplish. There’s probably some flashbacks to the day you were drafted, to think back when your name was called and the path you had to travel and work your way through. So, I’m sure a lot of conversation we’ll now be able to share the experiences going forward and the challenges that are on their way.”
The 21-year-old Matheny posted a .291/.417/.449 slash line with 18 doubles, five home runs and 43 RBIs in 61 games this season for a Missouri State team that fell one game short of the College World Series. He also stole 12 bases in 14 attempts.
The Red Sox used three of their first four draft picks on outfielders, taking Arkansas’ Andrew Benintendi in the first round (seventh overall), Matheny in the fourth and California high schooler Jagger Rusconi in the fifth.
Thumbnail photo via Twitter/@MLBPipeline
