TAMPA — The captain is staying clean.
Aaron Judge offered a succinct “no” Saturday when asked if he would be growing a beard now that the Yankees allow him to after Hal Steinbrenner announced Friday he was relaxing the club’s longstanding facial hair policy.
“I got drafted by this organization, so the very first day I was here — I’ve been shaving since 2013, so this is what I know,” Judge said. “This is what I’m used to. When I look around the building at old photos of the past legends and people that played here, they all followed that rule, so I just tried to follow their path.”
Judge said he was “definitely shocked” about the change in policy that had been in place since 1976 under George Steinbrenner.
But he understood Hal Steinbrenner’s reasoning in not wanting the old policy to be something that would hinder the Yankees’ chances of winning.
That said, Judge voiced to Steinbrenner that he thought it was important to keep other rules in place because they help teach discipline.
And, if past free agents wouldn’t sign with the Yankees because of the prior policy, Judge had a strong stance on that as well.
“If that little rule is going to stop you from coming here, then you probably shouldn’t be here,” Judge said. “If a little rule like that’s gonna stop you from doing your job, then I don’t think — I don’t know. So I haven’t heard too much about guys, it stopping them from coming here, but [Steinbrenner] dug in a little bit more than I did.”
