MIAMI _ The Miami Marlins are allowed to have beards and mustaches this season, CEO Derek Jeter said Tuesday.
With one catch: The facial hair must be well groomed.
"Well groomed," Jeter emphasized.
That guideline is a bit stricter than the Marlins' facial-hair policy last year, when players could wear hair on their faces without much issue. In 2016, however, there was a facial-hair ban from owner Jeffrey Loria.
That was relaxed heading into spring training 2017.
"It was a constant fight (in 2016), honestly, with guys," manager Don Mattingly said on the first day of spring last year. "Really, we talked about the most important thing is our guys prepare. Prepare, play the game right. Play hard. We're not really worried about that."
Now, Jeter is reeling it back in again, though his players will have more freedom of facial-hair expression than he did during his playing days. The Yankees have an infamously strict policy _ mustaches only _ and Jeter has been clean shaven throughout his baseball career.
"You want people to look professional," Jeter said. "I think if you look professional, you act professional.
"I know with the Yankees, obviously, we weren't allowed to have any facial hair with the exception of a mustache, which never worked for me, but I think you do want players _ they're individuals, they have their personalities, you want them to be able to represent themselves and their families and the organization, but you want them to do that in a professional manner."
