Hal Steinbrenner, the owner of the New York Yankees, recently announced that for the first time in 49 years, their players can sport “well-groomed bears.” Nearly half a century of, arguably, the sport’s most popular team with clean shaven faces.
This brings up a very important topic in baseball. Who’s had the most iconic beards?
Honourable mention: Mr. Redlegs
Mr. Redlegs has been a symbol for Cincinnati for a large part of their history.
Yes, he’s a mascot. No, he’s not a real person. No, it’s not a full beard. But without a moustache, he looks like Mr. Met on a diet so he deserves to be here.
Wade Boggs
Mr. Chicken had facial hair that matched his style of play: not too flashy, but gets the job done.
His beard was the perfect representation of Boggs, and sure, it probably covered some of his beer ‘staches.
Jason Motte
Lumberjack? Viking? Oh, he’s a relief pitcher? Jason Motte looks like he could lead a group into the arctic and take on a yeti.
In the likes of Jason Kelce, Motte has a full beard and had a decent skillset as a relief pitcher.
Scott Spiezio
Okay, not a beard. But as a career bat-for-hire, Spiezio needed something to cement him in MLB history. Luckily for him, he did that when he played for the Cardinals.
His soul-patch is something in itself, but dying it red? That’s a bold move that will be remembered for a long time.
Dustin Hermanson
Hermanson proved two things: players don’t automatically skyrocket after playing for Montreal, and anyone could grow a goatee if they wanted to.
With an added design to his goatees, it was quite the style.
Jayson Werth
The outfielder looks like he could take Thor’s place in the Avengers just with his facial hair to hair combination.
Flow doesn’t even begin to describe his hair, and full is an understatement for his beard.
Facial hair has shaped baseball’s history, with iconic styles leaving lasting legacies—finally, even the Yankees are joining in.
