5 Cardinals with the most memorable and distinctive beards of the 21st century

The New York Yankees have recently made an announcement that they are doing away with their archaic rule forbidding players to possess beards. St. Louis-area native Devin Williams is receiving credit for the Yankees' removal of this policy, which will undoubtedly be a relief for many players, many of whom never looked right after shaving, including former St. Louis Cardinals infielder Matt Carpenter.

The Cardinals have had plenty of notable bearded and mustachioed players in their history. Al Hrabosky was famous in St. Louis for his Fu Manchu, and his furious demeanor on the mound added to the beard's mystique. Dennis Eckersley, a Cardinal near the end of his career, was another closer who rocked a unique mustache.

But those Cardinals of old weren't the only ones who could wear facial hair with the best — or worst — of them.

These five former members of the 21st-century Cardinals had among the most unique or prominent facial hair in the league.

Jason Motte

Jason Motte brandished a forest on his face that the unaware traveler could get lost in during much of his tenure as a relief pitcher for the Cardinals. His beard was respectable but not truly notable in 2012, when he served as the Cardinals' closer and saved a National League-leading 42 games, but while recovering from Tommy John surgery in 2013, Motte really let loose.

He continued to display the beard after signing with the rival Chicago Cubs following the 2014 season, and then with the Colorado Rockies in 2016. Unfortunately for Motte, following a minor league contract with the Atlanta Braves, he was forced to dismantle the beard given the Braves' rules that prohibited facial hair for minor league ballplayers. He allowed his 4-year-old daughter to shave it all off.

The beard has returned for Motte in his post-playing career, albeit much grayer than before. He now works as the head baseball coach at Christian Brothers High School in Memphis, Tennessee.

John Brebbia

As a usually clean-shaven man in the baseball offseason with the Cardinals, John Brebbia looked like an anonymous pitcher when he arrived at Spring Training from 2017 through 2019. But as the months passed and each season drew on, Brebbia's beard continued to grow until he resembled a lumberjack when October rolled around.

Brebbia, who currently pitches for the Detroit Tigers, is known as a free spirit in the clubhouse, which was likely required for him to persevere in his twisting and turning path to reach the major leagues. During the MLB All-Star series that took place in Japan in November 2018, Brebbia decided to have a little fun, as he trimmed off a bit of his beard for every game.

By Game 5, he was donning this...unorthodox style.

Brebbia struggled in 2024 as he split time between the Chicago White Sox and the Atlanta Braves, pitching to a 5.86 ERA in 55.1 innings. For baseball creativity's sake, let's hope Brebbia can keep finding employment for a while longer.

Ryan Franklin

Yet another relief pitcher who wore a unique chin accessory, Ryan Franklin pitched for the Cardinals for five seasons after spending several years as a nondescript starter for the Seattle Mariners and a reliever for Philadelphia Phillies and the Cincinnati Reds. His best year was in 2009, where he made his lone All-Star appearance as the Cardinals' closer and, much more importantly, ditched his bland beard for a style more befitting of a pitcher at the back of the bullpen.

Franklin was lights-out that year, holding a 1.92 ERA and 38 saves. But unlike Cardinals fans' positive opinion of his game, online reception of Franklin's new appearance was largely hostile, contrasting with the more mixed-to-positive opinions of other beards on this list.

In 2011, the Cardinals lifted Franklin from the closer's role after he blew four saves in five opportunities to begin the season, and the eradication of his beard soon followed. It would be his last season in the major leagues.

Scott Spiezio

Infielder Scott Spiezio helped power the Cardinals to a championship in 2006 after the team acquired him in February of that year. He hit .272 that season and smacked a clutch two-run triple in Game 3 of the NLCS. His little soul patch, dyed red upon his becoming a member of the Cardinals, spawned imitators aplenty in Cardinals Nation, which reached a fever pitch after those Game 3 heroics.

Spiezio's beard became a signature icon of the 2006 season for Cardinals fans, as many supporters painted their chins or attached tufts of hair as they rallied around Spiezio and the team. But while fans loved his clutch moments, Spiezio was in the middle of a battle with substance addiction that would cut his final season short.

Now clean, Spiezio appeared at a Cardinals fantasy camp in 2023 and shared his story while still displaying the red patch that led fans to fall head over heels for the infielder during his short Cardinals tenure.

Dustin Hermanson

In another world, perhaps Dustin Hermanson was an artist. A pitcher for the Cardinals in 2001 and later in the first half of 2003, Hermanson held a 4.58 ERA in 222 innings with the team, but more notable was the fact that his beard was designed in such a way that it appeared to contain a butterfly. Or maybe you see something else. Use your imagination. As a bonus, Hermanson also had some unique sideburns during much of his time in St. Louis.

Bleacher Report placed Hermanson at No. 8 in its "Best Facial Hair in MLB History" article, and MLB.com also published an article in 2020 complimenting his looks. Later on, however, Bleacher Report seemed to change its tune, placing Hermanson's facial hair in the "creepy" category. For a milquetoast pitcher (albeit one with a World Series Ring with the 2005 Chicago White Sox), Hermanson did a solid job adorning his face to separate himself from the herd of other dime-a-dozen hurlers.

None of these five players would have been allowed to unveil their full personalities had they played in the Bronx, and whether you like or hate these bearded players' styles, they definitely provided a dash of flavor to the Cardinals and their fans.