Virginia native Tony Beasley says the Texas Rangers saved his life: 'God put me right where I needed to be'

CAROLINE COUNTY, Va. -- Growing up in rural Caroline County did nothing to diminish Tony Beasley's dreams. Beasley's father would take him every week to play for Carter Brothers in the Bowling Green Little League.

"My dad would pile us up in the station wagon and we'd go to JC Park. There were probably 12 teams there," Beasley said.

Beasley refined his game in high school at Caroline Stadium where his high school number is permanently honored.

He was the first in his family of eight siblings to attend college and eventually played for former New York Yankee Bobby Richardson at Liberty University.

Beasley was Liberty's team MVP as a senior but still had a major life decision to make when he graduated.

"I had signed up to go to officer's school to be a Marine," he said. "I knew there was a small possibility at that point that I could get drafted because Coach Richardson had told me that."

The Baltimore Orioles drafted Beasley in the 19th round back in 1989. That started a life-long career in baseball.

Texas Rangers

While he never made it out of the minor leagues, he showed a knowledge of the game that other players did not.

Beasley was made a player-coach in 1998 in Calgary where he sat in on front-office meetings.

That gave him a much different perspective on both his teammates and the business side of the game.

"Players are bad self evaluators. When you get into the room, you see how others view you and how decisions are made," he said. "Sometimes all things are equal. Who's the best character? Who represents the organization well? There are a lot of separators that go into it."

Beasley became a minor league manager and made several trips to the Diamond in Richmond when he was with the Harrisburg Senators.

WTVR

It was Baseball Hall of Famer and former Washington Nationals manager Frank Robinson who gave Beasley his first big league coaching opportunity in 2006. As of this past season, Beasley was the longest-tenured base coach in the major leagues having spent the past nine years with the Texas Rangers.

Beasley believes his decision to sign with the Rangers may have saved his life.

"I think that I was right where God wanted me to be. Nothing catches God by surprise," he said. "Had I not been in Texas, I would not have been at MD Anderson and gotten the care that I got."

Doctors diagnosed Beasley with stage 3C rectal cancer before the 2016 season.

The Rangers could have gone in a different direction for a third base coach but instead showed Beasley just what he meant to their organization.

"They invested in me as a person, and people don't do that. People will say if you need anything, call. Anything I can do for you, please reach out. But people don't sincerely mean that, they say that. The Rangers didn't just talk the talk, they walked the walk," he said. "I just feel that God put me right where I needed to be because He knew the care that I was going to need and he knew the family that I was going to need to be around, baseball-wise."

Beasley had 30 radiation treatments and walked a one-mile round trip to each of them.

His determination and loyalty were rewarded this past season when the Rangers won the World Series making the Caroline County native a world champion for the first time.

Tom Fox/AP

"You think about all those moments. All the bus rides in minor league ball. All the times when we were making pennies and eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches trying to survive," he said.

Beasley received hundreds of texts from those who knew him then and those who know him now, none more heartfelt than those who remember him tearing up the fields in Bowling Green.

"The outpouring of love from the community and the surrounding area, from Richmond to D.C. and Caroline County is tremendous," he said. "If I can show some kid in the area that you know what? If I can achieve something like this so can you. Those are the things that are important to me."

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