This handsome fellow is Karl Pagel, who was supposed to be the next great Cubs power hitter in the late 1970s.
He was the Cubs’ No. 1 pick (20th overall) in the “secondary phase” of the 1976 draft out of the University of Texas. The “secondary phase” back then was for high school and college players who had been previously drafted, but had not signed. Now, players like that simply go back into the draft pool for the following year.
Pagel seemed like a can’t-miss prospect. He hit .334/.451/.637 with 28 home runs in Double-A in 1977, .