Phillies' Andrew McCutchen: Yankees hair policy 'takes away from our individualism'

Andrew McCutchen wasn't big on the New York Yankees hair policy, and now he's speaking out about it as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies.

The outfielder spent two months with the Yankees in 2018 after being traded by the San Francisco Giants, and he wasn't too keen on New York's hair policy.

“I definitely do think it takes away from our individualism as players and as people,” McCutchen told Jensen Karp on “The Sports Bubble” podcast. “We express ourselves in different ways.”

The Yankees don't allow players' hair to go past the collar on their jersey and they can't have facial hair that goes beyond their top lip. 

When he showed up in New York, McCutchen immediately had to shave the beard he had with San Francisco. The 33-year-old also had dreadlocks during the majority of his nine-year tenure with the Pittsburgh Pirates before cutting them off and selling them for charity in 2015. He admitted that parting ways with the dreadlocks would've been difficult if he still had them. 

Former Yankees owner George Steinbrenner implemented the rule in 1973, and his son and current owner, Hal Steinbrenner, has no plans of ridding the rule. McCutchen, though, thinks Steinbrenner should consider getting rid of the mandate. 

“I feel like maybe there should be some change there in the future — who knows when — but it’s just one of the many things in this game that I feel that there just needs...it needs to be talked about, and to be addressed,” McCutchen said.

While he dissed the hair policy, McCutchen admitted he liked his time with the Yankees because it made him feel "powerful" wearing the pinstripes.

The five-time All-Star signed a three-year, $50 million deal with the Phillies after his short stint with the Yankees. In 2019 (59 games), he hit .256 with 10 home runs, 29 RBI's and an .834 OPS.