LOCAL STYLIST OFFERS HIS INSIGHTS ON ASTROS PLAYERS’ INTERESTING HAIRSTYLES

The Astros have a staff leading the American League in ERA and a lineup with the most runs scored, but could their confidence come from … their hair?

“For me,” starting pitcher Lance McCullers said, “it’s look good, feel good, play good.”

The best club in baseball also is one of the most creatively hirsute, from McCullers’ modern twist on a Great Gatsby hair part to Yulieski Gurriel’s fountain of blond Troll Doll spikes.

“We have seen the evolution of the pro athlete, who really does care about what his appearance looks like,” said Sergio Morales, a stylist at Cerón Hair Studio in Uptown.

Salon owner Gonzalo Javier Cerón Estrada has worked with Cindy Crawford, Paris Hilton and Ivana Trump, President Donald Trump’s first wife. Cerón’s tonsorial temple is one of Houston’s chicest.

“I consider this place the Ritz Carlton of hair salons in Houston,” said Morales, 37, who has been there for three years.

The socialite beehive attracts Astros wives for cut-and-fluffs from around $80 to $200, but more husbands and bachelor athletes are buzzing in. A well-groomed generation of primped prospects recognizes the ubiquitous surveillance of social media. “They have to have a good haircut,” Morales said. “If they look good, it’s more endorsements.” Colts 45s infielder Norm Larker used to complement a clean-shaven face with a military flat top. Now, catcher Brian McCann grooms a garden-gnome beard and outfielder George Springer flaunts a matted faux-hawk. The Astros avoid Cerón prices but luxuriate similarly. For $20 or however much more players want to pay, Danny Quiles, a barber from Puerto Rico, sets up shop outside the clubhouse. McCullers credits Quiles for sending him out to the field looking “swaggy.” As Morales offered his hot hair takes for the Chronicle, one of his clients chimed in from the chair. A 40-something blonde with high cheekbones, she is a philanthropist with ties to Astros ownership. She looked at a photo of McCullers and said: “Oh my God. He’s hot.”