Tate has never been more thankful that the Brewers are looking up at the Cardinals in the National League Central.

“It’s not too tough right now when they’re not winning too much and the Cardinals are,” Tate Matheny said. “Nobody can talk crap. It’s pretty easy.”

Matheny is also making playing in the Northwoods League look pretty easy. He’s off to a good start with the bat, hitting .324 with two home runs and 8 RBIs in nine games this season.

Baseball in Wisconsin is not unfamiliar for the Matheny family. Mike Matheny was drafted by the Brewers in 1991 and played for them for five seasons from 1994-1998. After a year with the Blue Jays, he became a Cardinal, and St. Louis has been the place Tate has always called home.

Being the son of a MLB player can add some unwanted pressure for some players trying to make a name for themselves, but Tate wouldn’t trade his experiences growing up for anything.

“You get to hang around big league guys and work with them and talk to them,” he said. “It was just a huge, huge benefit for me growing up.”

Tate was drafted out of high school by the  Cardinals in the 23rd round of the MLB draft last year. Even though Mike Matheny has said he preferred that the Cardinals not draft Tate because of the added pressure that might put on his son, Tate said he’d love to be a Cardinal someday.

“I’d love to play in St. Louis, but playing for my dad, who knows how that would go,” Tate said. “There might be some controversy and stuff, but it’d be awesome. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens.”

Tate passed on the chance to go pro last year and instead decided to play at Missouri State, where he hit a team-high .336 as a freshman outfielder. His dad always thought Tate was best suited to be a catcher, the position that Mike won four Gold Gloves at in the Majors, but Tate didn’t agree.

“(My dad) never tried to pressure me into anything,” Tate said. “He tried to help me. He thought that (catching) would be my best route. But I just couldn’t do it. I didn’t like catching, so I went to the outfield instead.”

That disagreement never stood in the way of their relationship. The two are still close and talk on the phone when their busy schedules allow it. And they text on an almost daily basis. Tate has the perk of getting help from a former Major Leaguer with his swing while Mike fills him in on everything that’s going on back home.

But there’s one thing Tate doesn’t talk to his dad about anymore. He doesn’t try to give him any advice about how to manage the Cardinals.

“I learned my lesson real quick,” Tate said. “He always had a reason behind what he was doing. There was always something going on. I’m never right with him. He knows what he’s doing. I guess that’s why he’s in the role he’s in.”

So instead of worrying about the Cardinals, Tate is focused on improving his game in the Northwoods League. And he’s having a good time doing so.

“It’s awesome,” Matheny said about the league. “I love the stadiums, it’s quality baseball and everybody draws a pretty good crowd.”