- The rule has been in place since George Steinbrenner bought the team in 1973
- Maybin kept his face shaved during his lone season with the Yankees in 2019
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Former New York Yankee and baseball announcer Cameron Maybin has called on his former team to drop a 50-year-old club rule to improve the team's chances of winning.
Maybin argued that the Yankees can further strengthen their roster if they end a policy that prohibits players from having facial hair below the upper lip.
“This may be an unpopular approach for Yankees fans, but you'd be surprised how much more attractive the Yankees would be if they got rid of the facial hair rule,” Maybin wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
“You wouldn't believe how many quality players just think it's a crazy rule,” Maybin added. “I mean, come on, we're approaching 2024, drop that, and I swear it would be more appealing. Again, this just comes from conversations I've had and experience from actually playing.”
The rule has been in place within the organization since George Steinbrenner bought the team in 1973.
Cameron Maybin insisted that the Yankees should do away with their 50-year-old facial hair rule
Yankees star Aaron Judge and newly acquired Juan Soto are both keeping their faces neatly shaved
The facial hair rule is one of many unique rules for the Yankees. The Bronx Bombers are known for excluding players' names from their jerseys and are one of two teams in Major League Baseball that have never worn an alternate third jersey.
Maybin played for the Yankees in 2019 and maintained a shaved face in pinstripes for his lone season due to policy.
Meanwhile, outfielder Johnny Damon was forced to lose his signature caveman look in 2005 after signing with the Yankees. General manager Brian Cashman also ruled out Brian Wilson more than a decade ago because he refused to shave his beard.
The Yankees added firepower after acquiring 25-year-old Juan Soto in a trade with San Diego on Wednesday. Soto will join forces with reigning MVP Aaron Judge as the Yankees pursue 25-year-old Japanese phenom Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
Both Soto and Yamamoto sport babyfaces that would keep them in the Yankees' good graces.
Several players have grown mustaches over the past half century as allowed by policy, including legends Goose Gossage, Don Mattingly and Thurman Munson.