Bret Saberhagen
Mustache Rating: 1 Fingers
Years Active: 1984-2001
Teams Played For: Kansas City Royals, New York Mets, Colorado Rockies, Boston Red Sox
Career Stats: 167-117, 3.34 ERA
Was He Ever a Diamond King?: Yes!
Claims to Fame:
-Two-Time AL Cy Young Award Winner (1985, 1989)
-1985 World Series Most Valuable Player

Bret Saberhagen burst onto the scene in 1984, a twenty year old Royal sporting a weedy little caterpillar of a mustache. If my own childhood experiences in Topeka were any indication, Saberhagen inspired a wave of desperate facial hair in a generation of midwestern teens. That or the fact that the national drinking age was raised from 18 to 21 during his rookie year. Regardless, Saberhagen was a Kansas City phenomenon, the youthful sensation who won the Royals their first World Championship alongside veterans like George Brett, Dan Quisenberry, Hal McRae, Frank White and Willie Wilson.

But as all Royals stories now end, Saberhagen soon ended up playing for a bigger team, in this case the New York Mets. He shaved the mustache, and like Samson before him could never reach his lofty mustachioed heights, though he did post an impressive 14-4 All-Star showing in 1994.

Since retiring, Saberhagen seems to have done a lot of charity work, played a lot of golf, and briefly ran a play in upstate New York called “Bret Saberhagen’s Hit & Fun”, sadly no longer open. He also coaches his son’s high school baseball team, and as you can see from this photo op with fellow KC Cy Young winner (and quote machine) Zack Grienke, the mustache is back.