TAMPA, Fla. -- This Yankees team is about to look different than any other in a generation.
Managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner announced on Friday that the organization has amended its long-standing facial grooming policy, which had dated to the 1970s. Yankees players, coaches and other uniformed personnel are now permitted to sport “well-groomed beards” moving forward.
No longer must new acquisitions shave facial hair upon arrival. Devin Williams was one recent example; after being acquired from the Brewers in December, the right-handed closer said he hadn’t been clean-shaven for about six years and hoped to keep his beard “as long as I can.”
Steinbrenner said his consideration of what he described as an “outdated” and “somewhat unreasonable” policy long pre-dated the Williams trade; Steinbrenner said he’d been contemplating a change for years.
“In recent weeks I have spoken to a large number of former and current Yankees -- spanning several eras -- to elicit their perspectives on our longstanding facial hair and grooming policy, and I appreciate their earnest and varied feedback,” he said. “These most recent conversations are an extension of ongoing internal dialogue that dates back several years.
“Ultimately the final decision rests with me, and after great consideration, we will be amending our expectations to allow our players and uniformed personnel to have well-groomed beards moving forward. It is the appropriate time to move beyond the familiar comfort of our former policy.”
Steinbrenner said he spoke with several players earlier this week, including team captain Aaron Judge, right-hander Gerrit Cole and designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton. All were in favor of updating the policy.
“It’s appropriate. It makes sense,” Cole said. “It still embodies our look and neatness, but allows for some individual freedom and a few less razor burns.”
There will be “parameters” to maintain a look that is “clean and disciplined,” as Steinbrenner said; for example, the long beard sported by the Phillies’ Brandon Marsh wouldn’t pass muster. In detailing the changes to Yankees personnel on Friday, general manager Brian Cashman said: “We’re not trying to look like Duck Dynasty.”
One driving factor, which Steinbrenner acknowledged was “hypothetical in nature,” is that the Yankees fear they could miss out on a future free agent because of the policy.
Said manager Aaron Boone: “We never want to miss out on one player. If we miss out on one player because of that [policy], that’s too many.”
Because of that, Steinbrenner said he believes his father, the late George M. Steinbrenner, would have approved.
“Winning was the most important thing to my father,” Steinbrenner said. “If somebody came and told him that they were very sure this could affect us getting the players we want to get … I think he might be a little more apt to do the change than people think, because it was about winning.”
The grooming policy dated to George M. Steinbrenner’s purchase of the team. As the legend goes, its roots grew in 1973, when Steinbrenner observed his team on the first-base line for Opening Day against Cleveland. Steinbrenner was not yet “The Boss,” so new in the role that he could not identify the players by their faces.
Instead, he focused upon their hair -- unkempt mustaches, mutton chops and shaggy locks. He scowled, scribbling uniform numbers on a scrap of paper urgently dispatched to manager Ralph Houk. Tell these men to get a haircut, Steinbrenner commanded.
Sparky Lyle, Thurman Munson, Bobby Murcer, Fritz Peterson and Roy White all made Steinbrenner’s list that day. Though waves of rebellion occurred over the years (Munson’s 1976 Topps baseball card shows the catcher sporting a full beard, and Goose Gossage’s distinctive mustache stemmed from an order to shave), the appearance policy was largely abided.
“All players, coaches and male executives are forbidden to display any facial hair other than mustaches [except for religious reasons], and scalp hair may not be grown below the collar,” read a passage in the team’s player manual. “Long sideburns and mutton chops are not specifically banned.”
The policy was strongly influenced by Steinbrenner’s military background; he attended Culver Military Academy in Indiana and served as a second lieutenant in the United States Air Force.
“I have nothing against long hair per se,” Steinbrenner told The New York Times in 1978, “but I’m trying to instill a certain sense of order and discipline in the ballclub, because I think discipline is important in an athlete. The players can joke about it, as long as they do it.”
From Don Mattingly to Jason Giambi to Johnny Damon to CC Sabathia, the policy remained intact – though it did present a persistent issue to tackle and enforce.
“We brought CC here,” Cashman said, “and it was a hesitant thing because of the facial hair situation, because he’d like to have that. That’s something when you come here, you have to make the choice.
“I actually had a non-roster invite discussion this spring where the agent was like, ‘He’s just got to decide if he wants to shave or not.’ So it’s a real thing.”
When Cole signed with the Yankees ahead of the 2020 season, he had his beard zipped off at a New York hotel ahead of an introductory press conference, exhibiting no qualms about the appointment. Cole said he hasn’t decided if he will restore the old look.
“Being a Yankee fan, I wanted to emulate everything the Yankees did,” Cole said. “So it was kind of cool that I was able to shave and be a part of that legacy. And then it’s really cool at the same time that we’re transitioning to a different legacy moving forward. It’s cool to be part of both.”
Senior Reporter Bryan Hoch has covered the Yankees for MLB.com since 2007.