Colorado Rockies: Ranking the Rockies’ facial hair

As of the time of this writing, Major League Baseball has yet to formalize any plans for an official return to action in 2020. The season is still on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so why not have a little fun while we wait?

I will graduate from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication with a degree in sports journalism this May. During my time as a journalism student, I was afforded the opportunity to briefly cover Major League spring training for the first time this past Spring before the sports world, and society as a whole, ground to a relative halt.

The sports reporters in my class during my final semester were all assigned one of the 15 clubs that call Arizona home during MLB’s preseason. Along with a few others, I was sent to Hohokam Stadium to cover the Oakland Athletics for the duration of spring training.

One of my fellow student-reporters, Victoria Stibrik, published a story for The Mercury News about the numerous different hairstyles modeled by A’s players throughout the season. She did a great job, and you can read it here.

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Her story inspired me to do the same, with a slight tweak.

Without further ado, here is my official top 10 list of facial hairstyles on the 2020 Colorado Rockies active roster.

Coming in at No. 10, starting pitcher Antonio Senzatela. The Venezuela native has kept his classic mustache-beard combination ever since his impressive Major League debut on April 6, 2017, and it’s working for him. There isn’t anything too crazy going on here, but he’s since let the goatee grow out a tad more, an improvement on an already solid look.

The No. 9 spot belongs to third baseman Nolan Arenado. We’ve seen the perennial MVP-candidate blossom from a clean-shaven rookie to sporting his current scruffy mustache and chinstrap beard duo. It’s not always a well-kept look, but he owns it and wears it with pride. Fast-forward to 3:19 of his 2017 All-Star Game interview on Intentional Talk to hear his reaction on his appearance from a previous episode.

Rookie sensation Brendan Rodgers kicks off the top five. Of everyone I’ve highlighted so far, his style is most similar to Senzatela’s, with a slightly fuller volume. I know this is a list focusing on facial hair, but I’m going to break the rules and give Rodgers bonus points for the mullet as well. This is an organization well versed in mullets, most notably when the style was modeled by former shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, as well as current outfielder and fan-favorite Charlie Blackmon (more on him later). Rodgers can absolutely compete with “Tulo” in that department.

My No. 4 spot belongs to Ian Desmond. While his productivity on the diamond has been hotly debated since his arrival in the Mile High City, the same cannot be said about his appearance. He keeps his beard and mustache just long enough to be noticeable, but short enough to avoid masking his chiseled jawline. He makes a strong case to land in the top three, but not quite.

The top-three finishers leave precision and maintenance in the dust. Coming in at No. 3, outfielder David Dahl‘s beard is following in the footsteps of one of his fellow outfielders. He hasn’t quite reached the level of wildness of my top two finishers, but he’s well on his way and is already a force to be reckoned with.

My runner-up is somewhat of a surprise. Starter Jon Gray allowed his beard to really take off during the offseason, and is rewarded with a result that now rivals that of my champion. He jumps into the top two after he sported a fairly average-looking beard last year.

Was it really a shock that Blackmon takes the top spot in my rankings? Chuck Nazty has worn his signature look for years now, one that includes his flowing mullet, wild and uncontrolled beard, and shorter hair on top and on the sides. It’s a complete ensemble, one that Rockies fans have come to know and love from their quirky right fielder. The picture says it all. This one really wasn’t a contest.

What do you think of the rankings? Where would you have switched things up? Let us know in the comments section below.