Bryce Harper, 25, is walking around a lot lighter these days. Yes, it’s true, the Nationals’ outfielder shaved his signature beard! Harper stunned fans when he hit the ballpark for Monday’s June 19th game against the Yankees, chin out and all. And, we have to say, Harper was looking handsome as ever without his usual grizzly beard. His chiseled jaw line and chin were out on display with a bit of stubble left from his brown facial hair. Check out his new look (below) and see some of the best fan reactions!
“I’d like to thank [Bharper3407] for shaving his beard. Now the rest of us don’t have to wonder why ours isn’t as perfect as his,” one envious fan tweeted. “Last night I turned on the [Nationals] game and I noticed that [Bharper3407] shaved his beard and it made me question my entire life,” another stunned spectator wrote. Then, there were the fans who were just flat out shook over Harper’s clean face, calling his new look “awkward.”
More comments about Harper’s beard continued to flood the internet. One Twitter user decided to break down his new look in the form of a math equation…
Bryce Harper without a beard > Bryce Harper with a beard
— Ramos (@AthleticMurse) June 19, 2018
And, others decided to get straight to the point. “Bryce Harper with no beard is such a snack,” one female fan wrote.
When most fans freaked out over Harper’s missing beard, others got to work on some of the craziest conspiracy theories, with the most popular being that Harper shaved to hint that he’s joining the Yankees in free agency (he’s in the final year of his contract). But, why the bizarre theory? — As you may know, the Yankees have a longstanding club policy which prohibits a significant amount of facial hair. And, Harper has expressed interest in playing for the Yankees in the past. However, there might not be a high desire for Harper at the moment, seeing as they just signed the promising and very expensive outfielder, Giancarlo Stanton, 28.
While it’s unclear just why Harper decided to shave, he’s currently in the midst of a major slump at the plate. He’s hitting .198 since May with 49 strikeouts and a plummeting walk rate. Harper entered Monday’s game batting just .188 since April 17. And, his new look didn’t help. He went 0-for-7 in the two contests, dropping his batting average on the season to .212.
Then again, this summer has been a scorcher, so maybe he just wanted to cool down with a clean shaven face? — We’ll just have to wait and see if he grows the beard back, or keeps us guessing with his head-turning cleft chin!