Edwards was taken in the 48th round of the 2011 Major League Baseball draft by the Texas Rangers out of Mid-Carolina High School in Prosperity, South Carolina
Edwards’s decision to play college baseball for the Charleston Southern Buccaneers was because he had a friend on the team.
Unfortunately, his friend Bedenbaugh died in a car accident. Edwards couldn’t bear the thought of playing for the team where his friend’s absence would be obvious and instead chose to pursue a career in professional baseball.
He began his professional career with the Arizona League Rangers and the Spokane Indians. He finished the season 5-3, with a 1.48 ERA and 85 strikeouts in 67 innings thrown. He began the 2013 season with the Hickory Crawdads, where he went 8-2 with a 1.83 ERA and 122 strikeouts in 93+ innings (18 starts).
On July 22, 2013, Edwards was sold to the Chicago Cubs with Mike Olt, Justin Grimm, and a player to be named later (Neil Ramrez) for Matt Garza.
He was assigned to the Class A-Advanced Daytona Cubs, where he pitched 23 innings with a 1.96 ERA and 33 strikeouts (six starts). He was selected MiLB Pitcher of the Year at the end of the season.
Prior to the 2014 season, Baseball America ranked him as the 28th greatest prospect in baseball. He pitched for the AA Tennessee Smokies in 2014, posting a 1-2 record and 2.44 ERA in ten starts.
Edwards was added to the Cubs’ 40-man roster on November 20, 2014, to keep him out of the Rule 5 Draft. He began 2015 with the Tennessee Titans before being promoted to the AAA Iowa Cubs in May.
What Happened To Carl Edwards Jr?
It was announced on February 25, 2022, that Washington Nationals had signed Edwards to a minor league contract. Edwards upgraded his pitching repertoire for the next season by adding a change-up.