Tampa Bay Rays pitcher David Price won’t be heading to the New York Yankees because he doesn’t want to conform to the team’s rule against facial hair.
According to FoxSports.com, the bearded Price doesn’t want to shave it off, thus negating chances of him joining the Bronx Bombers. Unlike other players who have signed with the Yanks over the years that agreed to remove facial hair, among them Jason Giambi, Johnny Damon and, most recently, Kevin Youkilis, Price won’t do so.
“I wouldn’t stay there very long then,” he said of playing with the Yankees. “I wouldn’t sign a long-term deal there. Those rules, that’s old-school baseball. I was born in ’85. That’s not for me. That’s not something I want to be a part of.”
In fact, he’d rather remain playing for Rays manager Joe Maddon.
“Joe wants us to be comfortable in our own skin,” Price said. “He doesn’t care what we do in the locker room. He doesn’t care what type of music we play, how loud we play it. He doesn’t care what we wear to the field, because that’s not going to help us be better baseball players.”
As for the rules he’d have to play under with the Yankees, Price said, “That (would give) us more reasons to mess up, more reasons to get a fine, more reasons to be mad about coming to the ballpark because you have to wear slacks and a collared shirt in 100-degree weather.
“It’s a joke to me, that I had less rules in college than I would on some major league teams. That’s not my style, man. I couldn’t do it on some of these teams I hear about. I couldn’t do it. I’m a grown man.”
And unless the Rays get a great trade offer, Price hopes to stay put, talking about “how good we have it here. … “If I ever did hit that free-agent market, there would be teams I wouldn’t sign with simply because of the stuff that I’ve heard — every rule they have. Being here since 2007, being treated like a grownup, given that respect and freedom and space — it grows on you.”
Price, 27, won the AL Cy Young last season, going 20-5 with a 2.56 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 205 strikeouts in 211 innings.