Max Von McDaniel (April 18, 1939 – August 20, 1995) was a rookie sensation at age 18. Upon his 1957 graduation from Arnett High School, he signed with the Cardinals for a $50,000 bonus and just days out of high school, he pitched a complete game, two-hit shutout for the St. Louis Cardinals in his first Major League start against the defending National League champion Brooklyn Dodgers on June 21, 1957.
That season he won 4 games and pitched a scoreless inning streak of 19. In 17 games he was 7-5 with a 3.22 ERA to start his young career. But some unexplained happened. His pitching mechanics went awry and he began having control issues and he to stop pitching.
He tried to make a comeback as a third baseman but never made it out of the minor leagues. Upon his 1957 graduation from Arnett High School, he signed with the Cardinals for a $50,000 bonus.
His major league career lasted less than one calendar year.