One thing that does not go with the New York Yankees pinstripes is an abundance of facial hair and Andrew McCutchen has adjusted.
Newest New York Yankee Andrew McCutchen, like many before him, is now clean shaven and ready to join his new club. He’s leaving a .500 ball club in the San Francisco Giants to join the team with the second-best record in the MLB.
Going from losing on the West Coast to winning on the East Coast isn’t the only major transition that occurred. The beardless McCutchen looks like a completely new man.
Here is proof from the man himself:
.@TheCUTCH22 ready for a fresh start with the Yankees ? pic.twitter.com/AmfepeQWl4
— Bleacher Report MLB (@BR_MLB) August 31, 2018
Just gonna take me a sec to get used to my freshly shaved face?. Other than that…let’s go!
— andrew mccutchen (@TheCUTCH22) August 31, 2018
The Yankees’ facial hair policy has scared off players before, such as another former Giant, Brian Wilson. He was so attached to his bead that he refused to sign with New York before the team even offered him a contract.
McCutchen was traded, though. The only choice he had was to go with a clean-cut look or grow a mustache, which is permissible per team rules.
McCutchen has lost his beard, but he’s gained a chance to help the Bombers on their quest to reach the World Series. With Aaron Judge stuck in a seemingly interminable DL stint and Giancarlo Stanton battling hamstring issues, McCutchen has an opportunity to be a key contributor.
Neil Walker, who played with McCutchen on the Pittsburg Pirates from 2009 to 2015, will be especially happy to see his old friend. Walker has been playing out of position in right field, and now he can move back to second base until Didi Gregorius returns from his heel injury.
McCutchen is a free agent in 2019. If he comes through in September and October, maybe Yankees fans will see him in pinstripes again next year.
Or, maybe he’ll miss his beard too much.
