If facial hair was a dealbreaker for some players, Aaron Judge believes they weren’t the right fit for the Yankees anyway.
On Friday, the baseball world was shocked when the New York Yankees announced the end of their long-standing facial hair policy. Established when George Steinbrenner purchased the team, the rule prohibited beards and stubble, allowing only mustaches and sideburns. Nearly 50 years later, his son, Hal Steinbrenner, decided to lift the restriction after discussions with players and others around the league, now permitting “well-groomed beards.”
One key reason for the change, according to Steinbrenner, was the desire to avoid losing free agents over the policy. In the past, the Yankees notably missed out on pitchers David Price and Brian Wilson because of the rule.
On Saturday, Yankees captain Aaron Judge weighed in on the update. When asked if the previous restriction discouraged players from signing with the team, Judge made it clear—if facial hair was a deciding factor, then those players weren’t meant to be Yankees.
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“If a small rule like that is enough to keep someone from doing their job, then I’m not sure what to say,” Judge remarked, per Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News. “I haven’t heard much about it preventing players from coming here, but [Hal] looked into it more than I did.”
Aaron Judge calls out players who wouldn’t consider Yankees over facial hair policy
Judge acknowledged that while he isn’t sure if the facial hair policy truly influenced a free agent’s decision, he doesn’t believe it should have.
Over the years, several players with beards have shaved them off to join the Yankees, including Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón, and Johnny Damon.
This offseason, the Yankees traded for closer Devin Williams from the Milwaukee Brewers. Upon arriving at spring training, Williams openly expressed that he wasn’t thrilled about having to shave his beard. According to Greg Joyce of the New York Post, Williams met with Hal Steinbrenner and general manager Brian Cashman a week before the policy change to voice his preference for keeping his beard. He also indicated that if the rule had remained, it would have been a factor in his decision when considering the Yankees in free agency.
While some fans viewed the facial hair rule as part of “Yankee tradition,” others believed it was outdated. Though there are no strict guidelines on what qualifies as a “well-groomed beard,” Cashman clarified that players wouldn’t be allowed to grow excessively long, “Duck Dynasty” beards.
If the policy ever influenced player decisions in the past, that will no longer be an issue moving forward.
