Over 77 total drafts in MLB history, the Cardinals have selected 20 high school position players in the true first round. In Part One of this series here, I discussed the first four: Leron Lee, Ted Simmons, James (Butch) Hairston and Ed Kurpiel. I continue the series in this piece.
1973: 3B Joe Edelen: 0.8 Career WARP, 0.4 Cardinal WARP
Edelen was 17 at the time he was drafted #12 overall as the Oklahoma high school player of the year. In addition to hitting .403 and swatting 28 home runs in a 60-game American Legion season after his senior year of high school, he also had a 19-1 record as a pitcher.