⚾️ Home Runs Are Nice, But These MLB Players Pursue A Higher Calling 🔌
Weekend Plug-in 🔌
Editor’s note: Every Friday, “Weekend Plug-in” meets readers at the intersection of faith and news. Click to join nearly 10,000 subscribers who get this column delivered straight to their inbox. Got feedback or ideas? Email Bobby Ross Jr.
ARLINGTON, Texas — The Texas Rangers boast an estimated $243 million annual payroll.
The MLB team — presumed dead in the pennant race two weeks ago but suddenly resurrected — draws an average home crowd of nearly 30,000.
Mostly, the paying customers judge their baseball heroes on their performance — or lack thereof — on Globe Life Field’s synthetic turf.
That’s just the nature of big-time sports.
It’s easy, too, for players to gauge their individual self-worth based on whether they hit a home run or strike out. But a half-dozen Rangers players and a coach who spoke at the team’s Faith and Family Night this past weekend said they aspire to a higher calling — one focused on God.
Fans attend the Texas Rangers’ Faith and Family Night at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. (Photo courtesy of the Texas Rangers)
“I always say the same thing: Baseball is what I do. It’s not who I am,” emphasized third base coach Tony Beasley, a devoted Christian who touted “God’s goodness and his grace” while battling cancer in 2016.
That doesn’t mean putting the swings and misses into proper perspective is easy.
It’s not — especially given the bright lights.
READ: A Pitch To Follow Jesus: Baseball Fans Embrace Players’ Faith Testimonies
“I always kind of describe it as, you’re like a walking statistic … and that’s kind of tough,” said third baseman Josh Jung, a 2023 All-Star Game starter who struggled earlier this season and was demoted temporarily to the minor leagues.
Along with Beasley and Jung, five other players — Nathan Eovaldi, Cody Bradford, Evan Carter, Danny Coulombe and Jon Gray — talked about their spiritual journeys. A few others, including Wyatt Langford and Cody Freeman, came to support their teammates.
Texas Rangers outfielder Evan Carter, fourth from left, leads an opening prayer at the team’s Faith and Family Night. Also pictured, from left, are Nathan Eovaldi, Josh Jung, Cody Bradford, Danny Coulombe, Jon Gray and Tony Beasley. (Photo courtesy of the Texas Rangers)
Hundreds of fans, who bought special tickets, crowded into the team’s Lexus Club to hear the personal testimonies after the Rangers’ 4-2 win Sunday over the rival Houston Astros.
“I mean, hearing anybody’s testimony … is just neat because everybody’s got their own journey,” said Heather Grubbs, who attended with her fiancé, Chris Christian, and 12-year-old son, Xander.
“So it’s that and the chance to hear from players that you idolize and watch,” added Grubbs, wearing a white Rangers jersey with blue letters and gold highlights celebrating the team’s 2023 World Series championship.
Heather Grubbs attends the Texas Rangers’ Faith and Family Night with her son, Xander, and fiancé, Chris Christian. (Photo by Bobby Ross Jr.)
For years, teams such as the Detroit Tigers and the San Diego Padres have boosted ticket sales by appealing to evangelical Christians, as Religion Unplugged has reported.
Sunday’s event marked a first for the Rangers — at least in several years — as Texas joined the growing trend of MLB franchises organizing faith days.
Carter, a top prospect who famously wore a “Jesus Won” T-shirt when he made his 2023 big league debut, opened the gathering with a prayer.
READ: Welcome Back, Carter: Faith Helps Texas Rangers’ ‘Little Savior’ Overcome Setbacks
“God, thank you for today, and thank you for the opportunity you provided for us all to gather here,” the left-handed hitting outfielder said. “Thank you for everyone who took time out of their day to come and spend some time with us and fellowship together. And I pray that you can speak for everyone here today and that someone hears exactly what they need to hear today, God.”
Bradford, a left-handed pitcher who has battled injuries throughout 2025, said he welcomed the opportunity to share his faith with fans.
“God has given us this platform. He has given us the abilities to play baseball at a high level,” Bradford told Religion Unplugged in a dugout interview before Sunday’s game. “And I think there is a responsibility that comes with that not to put the glory on ourselves.
Texas Rangers pitcher Cody Bradford poses for a photo during an interview with Religion Unplugged. (Photo by Bobby Ross Jr.)
“And I think a faith day is a way … to let fans maybe peel back the layers of baseball a little bit and have them see us more as people, which we all are,” he added. “I think it’s a cool time to encourage people through our own stories and our own journeys.”
Team chaplain Mason Randall moderated the faith night Q&A.
“The main thing is, all of these guys — they’re just on a spiritual journey … and I think the same is true for all of us,” Randall told the crowd. “So our prayer really together is that God uses this time to speak to our hearts however he desires to.”
READ: Jesus At The Ballpark: Why MLB Teams Host Faith Nights
Randall invited players to reflect on the biggest challenges they face as professional athletes striving to follow Jesus.
“I mean, all of us are probably perfectionists in our own way,” Jung said. “So it sucks going home at night, if you went 0-for-4 with four punchouts. And not coming through in a big situation, that stinks.
“So that’s the biggest one I face,” added Jung, who hit a tiebreaking double in that afternoon’s victory.
Bradford echoed Jung.
Tony Beasley speaks during the Texas Rangers’ Faith and Family Night as team chaplain Mason Randall, upper right corner, listens. (Photo courtesy of the Texas Rangers)
“Our entire career is based on … stats and how we performed on the field,” Bradford said. “It’s hard sometimes to compartmentalize our professional life from our personal life. And man, it’s hard. Baseball is a tough sport.
“Something that Jesus said that really resonates with me is, he comes to give life to the full,” he added. “And there’s a life outside of baseball — and outside of all of our professions — that’s way more fulfilling. And that’s something that I’m still learning about.”
Coulombe, a southpaw reliever traded to the Rangers from the Minnesota Twins on July 31, compared the performance-based nature of baseball with the grace-filled gospel of Jesus.
READ: ‘New Pope, New Me’: Devout Catholic Baseball Star Finds His Hitting Groove
“The gospel is like, there’s nothing that we can do. It’s what He did for us,” said Coulombe, referring to Christ. “So it’s just completely countercultural to what baseball is. It’s so easy to get caught up in this game and the identity of, I’m a baseball player first. But ultimately, I’m a Christian first who plays baseball and can use it as a mission field.”
Gray, a right-handed starting pitcher in the final year of a four-year, $56 million contract with Texas, joked that when he first became serious about his faith, he “just wanted to pray for a 0.00 ERA.”
Now he sees a bigger picture.
“If someone can see Christ in me that day, then that’s good,” Gray said. “So I started praying for how I responded to things. And I still fail a whole lot. I still tick myself off about how much I fail.”
Fans listen to players’ faith testimonies during the Texas Rangers Faith and Family Night. (Photo courtesy of the Texas Rangers)
Bradford noted that all the players who spoke had endured injuries or other setbacks this season.
“If God gave us everything that our heart desired, there would be no need for God at that point,” Bradford said. “So learning to submit control and just surrender that and find contentment wherever you’re at is a huge part of the faith.”
A team Bible study helps unite the Christian players, Jung said.
“Basically, that circle of guys that we have, you’re able to have deep conversations with them about what you’re going through,” he said. “Then on a daily basis, they can pray for you.
“They can watch out for you on how things are going. If they see something that they don’t think is the right way, they can have an honest conversation with you about it.”
The Texas Rangers, who have won four games in a row and 14 of their last 18, celebrate a victory Tuesday night at Globe Life Field in Arlington. (Photo by Bobby Ross Jr.)
Inside The Godbeat
Jackson Lahmeyer, the Tulsa, Oklahoma-based founder of the Pastors for Trump network, isn’t typically a fan of mainstream news coverage.
But he praised a New York Times story about Charlie Kirk’s death.
“Yesterday, after Charlie Kirk was pronounced dead, The New York Times called me to ask what I was feeling and thought,” Lahmeyer wrote Thursday. “To my surprise when the article was released today, the NY Times actually gave great honor to Charlie Kirk rather than disparaging him like I assumed they would.”
Curious who wrote the article, I checked and was not surprised by the byline: Elizabeth Dias and Ruth Graham, the Times’ award-winning religion writers.
The Final Plug
The Texas Rangers’ faith night happened to coincide with the team’s Stand Up for Cancer Day.
At my wife Tamie’s suggestion, I was honored to stand up for our friend Lisa Buck, who will complete her treatment in about six weeks.
Bobby Ross Jr. holds up a sign for his friend Lisa Buck during the Texas Rangers’ Stand Up for Cancer Day. (Photo provided by Bobby Ross Jr.)
Happy Friday, everyone! Enjoy the weekend.
Bobby Ross Jr. writes the Weekend Plug-in column for Religion Unplugged and serves as editor-in-chief of The Christian Chronicle. A former religion writer for The Associated Press and The Oklahoman, Ross has reported from all 50 states and 18 nations. He has covered religion since 1999.