TAMPA, Fla. — New York Yankees left fielder Alex Verdugo overheard a few of the team’s minor leaguers discussing the high-priced haircuts at the team’s facility. Verdugo said the team barber, David Castillo, charges a flat rate of $100 per haircut, a premium for those less settled in their careers.
Before Castillo left Tampa to care for his other clients around the country, namely Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, Verdugo had Yankees bench coach Brad Ausmus text every player with fewer than two years of service time that haircuts were on him.
“Everyone has made me feel a part of the team since day one,” Verdugo said. “It’s been a very easy transition for me. I didn’t do this to win over the team. It was more about trying to help the minor leaguers. I’ve enjoyed talking with them. They’re all good guys. I just heard them talking about how the haircuts are expensive, so, I said, ‘F— it. I’ll pay.’ Little gestures like that go a long way.”
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When Verdugo started his professional career in the Los Angeles Dodgers minor league system, he said he’d see some of the veterans buy suits for the younger guys on the roster. But Verdugo said he was never the beneficiary of any of those gifts. It made him feel a bit left out, but it didn’t bother him too much since the vets often helped him talk through any challenges he faced adapting to pro baseball.
In the 13 years that Castillo has worked in professional sports, he said Verdugo was the first player he’s come across to pay for the haircuts of his teammates.
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“It was not only an act of kindness for the players but for me, too,” Castillo said. “It gave me more work. I’m trying to provide for my family and I’m there for work. You know the Yankee Way. You have to look good, feel good and look clean. A lot of these guys got to experience that Yankee Way for the first time because of Verdugo.”
Verdugo didn’t have the greatest reputation inside the Dodgers’ or Boston Red Sox’s clubhouses. Veteran pitcher Rich Hill condemned Verdugo early in his career for showing up late to the ballpark and missing a Dodgers pregame hitters’ meeting. Verdugo was benched twice last season by Red Sox manager Alex Cora for showing up late to the park multiple times. Verdugo then fired some not-so-subtle shots toward Cora in his introductory Yankees press conference when he mentioned playing for a manager who’d have his back in Aaron Boone.
Boone has been around Verdugo for just over a month so far and said his starting left fielder is “a fun kid to be around,” who the clubhouse has already fully embraced. It’s allowed Verdugo to be unabashedly himself.
“At the same time, we have to keep it tamed and keep it within the team rules,” Verdugo said. “I think the cool thing here is everyone is held accountable for the same things. It’s much easier to get behind that instead of half the guys being accountable and the other half are able to do whatever they want. Everybody here is bought in. It doesn’t matter if you’re (Aaron) Judge, Gleyber (Torres), DJ (LeMahieu) or (Anthony) Rizzo, everybody is the same and everyone is bought into this. When you see the guys at the top of the level buying in and feeding into it, it’s a lot easier of a transition for me to be the same way.”
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Judge has been one of Verdugo’s biggest advocates with the Yankees. The captain said earlier this spring that he’s preached for years to the front office that they needed to try acquiring the left-handed hitter because of his intensity on the field and his desire to play through minor injuries. So far, Verdugo has followed Judge’s leadership by being as accessible as possible to the younger guys and showing them they’re just as important to the organization as the longtime veterans.
The Yankees have a reputation across sports for being an operation where every player has to fit in the same box. Verdugo and starting pitcher Marcus Stroman will push boundaries. Boone has already talked with Verdugo about how many chains he can wear around his neck. It’s not a usual conversation for Boone to have, but Verdugo is only allowed one chain while on the field.
“I didn’t know about the one-chain policy,” Verdugo said. “That one kind of hurt. I can wear as many chains to the field as I want; I just have to play with only one. I feel a lot lighter on the field. It’s cool, though. I don’t want to find out what happens if I wear two. I know you get yellow and red cards in soccer. I’m staying clear of that.”
After getting traded to the Yankees this offseason, Verdugo almost immediately shaved his beard to comply with the longstanding team policy. He knew he was going to have to get used to the clean look eventually, so he decided the quicker he complied, the faster he’d get over it. Former Yankee Johnny Damon has a shared experience with Verdugo in that both had full beards with the Red Sox and were intensely hated by most fans in the Bronx. That changed for Damon once he signed with the Yankees in free agency and eventually became a key member of the 2009 World Series team.
But even before winning a ring, Damon quickly changed Yankee fans’ perception of him by being the ultimate competitor. He also hit. Verdugo has taunted Yankee fans over the past few years, but if he hits, he’ll be celebrated. It’s that simple in New York.
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“At least the Yankee fans respected the way I play the game. So when they got me, they knew what I was going to bring to the table. I always like to tell people I’ve been loved and hated everywhere I’ve been, and I’m doing okay right now,” Damon said last month.
Verdugo has extra motivation this season to be on his best behavior since it’s his platform year before he hits free agency next offseason. So far, he’s making the best impression possible and winning over the locker room.
“He’s a guy who’s going to fit in well in the Bronx,” Castillo said. “He reminds me of Bronx Yankees fans. He’s a real one. He’s one of them.”
(Top photo of Alex Verdugo: New York Yankees/Getty Images)
