Hudson was originally drafted by the New York Mets in the 10th round of the 1967 draft. He had quite a bit of success as a starter in the minors, for example going a combined 20-9 with a 2.10 ERA in his first two minor league seasons. He was also used as a reliever at times in the minors, and he saw success in that role as well.\n', '

Before ever playing in a Major League uniform with the Mets, Hudson was traded with Jim Bibby, Rich Folkers and Art Shamsky to the St. Louis Cardinals for Jim Beauchamp, Chuck Taylor, Harry Parker, and Chip Coulter on October 18, 1971.\n', '

He spent less than a year in the Cardinals minor league system before making his big league debut on May 21, 1972 against the Chicago Cubs at the age of 22. Although he walked a batter in his first game, Hudson did not surrender a single hit or allow a single run in two innings pitched. The success he witnessed in his first game did not carry over to the rest of the season though, as he finished with a 5.11 ERA in 12 relief appearances.\n', '

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