Mike Matheny

Mike Matheny probably needed a professional to help him update his curriculum vitae after he retired from baseball in February 2007 due to ongoing symptoms of post-concussion syndrome. He served as a special advisor to the St. Louis Cardinals during Spring Training 2008; coached Little League baseball; and in November 2011 was named manager of the Cardinals without any prior professional managing or coaching experience. All Matheny did was lead the Cardinals to the playoffs in each of his first four seasons, the first big-league manager to do so. The team won three NL Central crowns and lost to the Boston Red Sox in six games in the 2013 World Series. Although his teams had a winning percentage of .555 in his first six-plus seasons, he was fired by the Cardinals in mid-2018.

Michael Scott Matheny graduated from Reynoldsburg (OH) HS in 1988 and was drafted in the 31st round of the MLB Amateur draft that year. He chose not to sign and instead attended the University of Michigan, where he was drafted in the eighth round of the 1991 draft by the Milwaukee Brewers. Matheny made stops at three different levels in the Brewers organization before making his big-league debut to start the 1994 campaign. After seeing limited action the first few weeks, Matheny was sent down after hitting .160/.222/.160 in 17 games. He was sent to Triple-A New Orleans but was recalled in July and hit .286/.355/.500 in 28 ABs before getting sent down to get additional playing time. 

The 6-foot-3 right-handed-hitting Matheny earned more playing time in 1995, getting 47 starts in 80 appearances. His solid defense offset his offense, which was average at best. During his last three years in Milwaukee, he played in more than 106 games each season and had a total batting line of .229/.272/.338 with 44 doubles and 18 home runs. He signed as a free agent with the Toronto Blue Jays for the 1999 season but only played in 57 games and was released after the season.

The Cardinals signed him prior to the 2000 season and although Matheny's hitting improved a little, he shone on defense, winning three Gold Gloves in five seasons. In 27 post-season games across three seasons for the Cards, Matheny hit two home runs and drove in 10 while batting .253 (20-for-79). 

Matheny finished his career with two seasons in San Francisco, the second truncated in July 2006 when he suffered a serious concussion after several foul balls caromed off his catcher's mask. The 2005 season was arguably his best in the bigs as he won a fourth Gold Glove and set career highs with 34 doubles, 13 home runs, 59 RBI, and an OPS+ of 81. He retired in 2007.

After managing the Cards, he spent two-plus years as the manager of the Kansas City Royals from 2020-2022.