Despite their decorated history, the New York Yankees care more about appearances than they do about championships. In 1976, former Yankees owner George Steinbrenner implemented a strict appearance policy that prohibited the team’s executives, coaches and players from making their own personal grooming choices.
Players are allowed to grow mustaches, but any other type of facial hair is strictly prohibited. The policy also specifies that scalp hair must not reach the collar. Long sideburns and mutton chops are not banned, of course, because everything stems from one man's cultural perspective on grooming and cleanliness. Steinbrenner justified the policy by claiming that regulating players’ appearances would somehow instill “a certain sense of order and discipline.”
Unfortunately, that order and discipline seemed to be missing in the 2024 World Series. The Yankees were outclassed by the Los Angeles Dodgers, and Freddie Freeman hoisted the World Series MVP trophy with plenty of stubble on his face.
Regardless, the policy lives on.
Devin Williams risks Yankees’ wrath by growing some facial hair
When the Yankees acquired Milwaukee Brewers closer Devin Williams in a trade this winter, he became the latest player to suddenly find his bearded days numbered. Williams, however, appears to be pushing back against the policy. The 30-year-old had some noticeable facial hair growth in his official Yankees team picture, which was posted on MLB’s social media on Tuesday.
FIRST LOOK: Cody Bellinger, Max Fried, Devin Williams, and Paul Goldschmidt as New York Yankees pic.twitter.com/mEDYcnpl3W
— MLB (@MLB) February 18, 2025
Williams arrived to spring training with his beard intact, but the facial hair disappeared by the time he began throwing.
“I feel naked,” Williams said when asked about having to shave his beard, per Randy Miller of the Newark Star-Ledger. Now, he seems to be testing just how strictly the Yankees will enforce the silly rule.
Countless players over the years have been forced to shed their patented hair for a clean-shaven look when they arrived at Yankee Stadium. Some of the players who have complied with the policy include Gerrit Cole, Nick Swisher, Jason Giambi, Randy Johnson and Johnny Damon. Not everyone has been so accepting of the policy, however.
In 1991, former Yankees first baseman Don Mattingly was fined and benched until he trimmed his hair. Former Yankees outfielder Andrew McCutchen discussed the discomfort he felt due to the policy after leaving the team. When the Yankees needed bullpen help nearly a decade ago, general manager Brian Cashman ruled out closer Brian Wilson simply because he refused to shave his beard. “You can cross him off the list,” Cashman said at the time.
Former Cy Young winner David Price also made it clear that he wouldn’t join the Yankees in free agency because he refused to adhere to the policy. “That’s not something I want to be a part of,” Price said in 2013, via CBS Sports.
Steinbrenner, who had previously spent time in the United States Air Force, carried over the strict grooming standards to his ownership of the club. The Yankees’ success under his leadership served as a justification for the policy, but there is little reason to believe that New York’s clean-shaven look provides anything of substance anymore.