Andrew McCutchen on Yankees Hair Policy: 'It Takes Away From Our Individualism'

Is it time for the Yankees to nix the organization's longtime policy on hair?

Former Yankees outfielder Andrew McCutchen says 2020 is a great time to consider making a change.

"I definitely think it takes away from our individualism as players and as people," McCutchen told The Sports Bubble's Jensen Karp. "We express ourselves in different ways."

When McCutchen spent the final few months of the 2018 season in a Yankees uniform, after being acquired for New York's postseason run from the San Francisco Giants, he was clean shaven with short hair.

In the years prior, including when the star center fielder won the National League Most Valuable Player Award with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2013, he let his signature dreadlocks flow.

McCutchen said that his hair is one of the ways he's able to express himself and showcase his flare as a ballplayer on the field, something he was unable to do in pinstripes.

"That's how I expressed myself, that's what made me Andrew McCutchen, that's how people noticed who I was," he said. "It made me unique. I think, especially in this year, the year of 2020, I just feel like these things are, or should be, things that people should take at heart and realize that we have a way of expressing ourselves in different ways."

READ: Tanaka in 'Good Spirits' After Getting Hit in Head By Stanton Shot

In a hypothetical scenario where McCutchen went directly from Pittsburgh to New York, and was asked to get rid of his signature look, the veteran imagined it would have been a "very tough thing to do."

"For me, when I was on the Pirates and me having my dreadlocks, I'd be lying if I got traded over to the Yankees and they said you have to shave your hair, that would've been a very tough thing to do because that was who I was," he said.

That said, McCutchen was appreciative of his time in the Bronx, calling it an "honor" to don pinstripes.

"It was definitely a great organization to be a part of," McCutchen explained. "To don those pinstripes for me it was an honor, it was something that I felt I would never have the opportunity to do. So even though it's the same game, you feel in a sense a little more powerful when you put that uniform on."

Across 25 regular season games with New York, McCutchen hit .253 with five home runs. In the offseason following his brief stint with the Bombers, the outfielder inked a three-year, $50 million deal with the Philadelphia Phillies.

READ: Yankees' Hal Steinbrenner Expects to See Fans at Yankee Stadium This Season

Who knows if Yankees' owner Hal Steinbrenner will consider changing a rule that his father had implemented decades ago. McCutchen didn't demand the change, but the 33-year-old is eager for the topic to be discussed (at the very least) in the near future.

"I definitely feel like maybe there should be some change there in the future," he sad. "Who knows when. It needs to be talked about, it needs to be addressed."

To keep up with all of Inside The Pinstripes’ coverage, click the "follow" button at the top right-hand corner of this page.

For more from Max Goodman, follow him on Twitter @MaxTGoodman. Follow ITP on Twitter @SI_Yankees and Facebook @SIYankees