The New York Yankees sent shockwaves around the baseball world in the way that only the Yankees can on Friday, as owner Hal Steinbrenner announced that the team would begin allowing its players to wear "well-groomed beards". (If that sounds like an awfully silly thing to dictate to grown professional athletes, well, yes, but you'd be surprised how deeply feelings have run about it since Hal's dad George instituted the rule back in the 1970s.)
While Steinbrenner himself cited conversations with Yankees past and present as well as the risk that it could cost New York with certain free agents, and other reports suggest that new closer Devin Williams helped nudge the team in the right direction after being upset that he had to shave his long-standing beard when he reported to spring training last week, it's possible that neither of those are the real cause of this huge about-face.
Chicago Cubs infielder Justin Turner has never played for the Yankees, but he thinks he knows what's behind the change in policy: former New York scapegoat Alex Verdugo.
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Justin Turner jokes that Alex Verdugo is to blame for Yankees changing facial hair policy
Okay, so Turner had tongue firmly planted in cheek. But hey: It's worth considering. Turner and Verdugo go way back, having spent time together with both the Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox — years in which they were both known for sporting pretty hefty beards.
Verdugo, of course, had to shave his when he was acquired by New York last offseason. And Turner thinks the results were so shocking that it scared the Yankees straight. “I wonder what made them change their mind,” Turner told the New York Post, while acknowledging that it was "about time" for the team to change its tune. “Did someone look so bad without a beard that they’re like, ‘We got to change this?’ Was it Alex Verdugo? He looked terrible.”
Sure, that was probably just a way to get a dig in on a long-time teammate and friend. But what if Verdugo's beard really was the source of his power? The outfielder struggled badly during his only season in The Bronx, hitting .233 with 13 home runs 61 RBIs and a career-low .647 OPS while drawing the ire of Yankees fans. He remains a free agent, and luckily whichever team chooses to sign him will likely be getting the bearded version moving forward.