Biagini, Alford are Baseball Chapel backers

Blue Jays farmhand OF Anthony Alford says his Christian faith keeps him grounded. He will open the season at triple-A Buffalo. Photo: Matt Antonacci

By J..P. Antonacci

Canadian Baseball Network

Anthony Alford’s keys to success include working hard, staying positive, and reading his Bible.

“My main mission is to impact people’s lives in a positive way and introduce people to Christ by being an example,” the Blue Jays outfielder said. “I’m very spiritual, so I feel like God put me here for a reason. I’m just trying to walk in His calling.”

Alford could be forgiven for losing faith after several injury-plagued seasons that slowed the highly touted prospect’s ascent to the big leagues. This spring saw a reversal of fortune, with an early power surge in Dunedin fueling speculation that Alford could start the year in Toronto. But on Tuesday he was optioned to minor league camp, destined for triple-A Buffalo.

To find perspective amid the highs and lows, Alford turns to a higher power.

“We can get caught up in the results of the game as opposed to looking at the big picture and knowing that if it was just me going by myself, I’d fail every time. I know God is my foundation. That’s who I represent, and I just need to keep glorifying Him through the success or failure,” Alford said.

“At times I can get away from it, in terms of trying to live up to people’s expectations and what they think of me, as opposed to trying to please God.”

Blue Jays pitcher Joe Biagini knows that struggle well. He came to Toronto as an unheralded Rule 5 pick in 2016 and ended up excelling in relief for the playoff-bound Blue Jays. Things haven’t been as rosy since, with the right-hander shunted between the starting rotation and the bullpen, while shuttling between triple-A and the majors.

Back in Toronto after stumbling to a 6.00 earned run average last year, the affable Biagini says he navigates the whirlwind of pro sports by leaning on his Christian faith.

“If you take an eternal perspective – and depending what you believe, it’s different for different people – I believe that God created me and loves me, and He’s put me in this position for a reason,” he said.

“There’s no other way that all of the crazy twists and turns in my career could have gotten me to this point if it wasn’t for something more than me just trying to be famous and make money and stuff. It actually makes you think – why am I really here, and what’s going to really matter in the end?

“I could get hit by a bus leaving the stadium today, and I can’t take (the money) with me. So you have to think about the lasting impact that you have.”

Biagini will often remind himself that what happens on the field is only a small part of what he considers his cosmic purpose.

“I feel by 1,000% that the bigger reason why I’m here is to use what I’ve been given to make an impact on other people,” he said. “I believe God calls us to do that, and honestly I think He designed us in that way. That’s how we truly thrive.”

Praying at the park

It’s not easy to form a faith community while living out of a suitcase, but Alford makes up for being away from his home church during the long season by seeking out opportunities to share his faith with those around him.

“It’s tough being on the road. We’re playing every day. I want to go to church, I want to go to Bible study, so I have to make time for that,” he said.

“I’m married to a preacher’s daughter (recording artist Bailey “Elsie” Alford), so my father-in-law is a spiritual influence for me. Whenever I fail, I have to hold myself accountable. But I have people in my corner who are always pushing for me and praying for me.”

Biagini called balancing his faith life with the nomadic nature of pro sports “one of the most significant, challenging questions that I’ve had to wrestle with through this experience.”

“I think sometimes it’s easy to take (your faith) for granted, because of the abstract nature of God. It’s not sitting right in front of you like your stats or your bank account. It’s sometimes hard to prioritize,” he said.

He added that it helps to confront existential questions alongside spiritually minded teammates, mentioning Alford, Curtis Granderson, J.A. Happ and R.A. Dickey by name.

“It’s nice to have guys who have that on their minds, and to be able to do Bible studies and focus on not only just the pursuit of God, but for a healthy perspective and a way to navigate through all of this craziness that goes on around here,” Biagini said.

Some players stay in touch with God while on the road through Baseball Chapel, a non-denominational Christian ministry based at the ballpark. Team chaplains lead short pre-game prayer services that include a Bible reading and an inspirational reflection.

Home and visiting players can work separately, with services also offered to umpires, players’ families, and team personnel.

Baseball Chapel was founded in 1974 by Detroit sportswriter Watson Spoelstra, with financial backing from the league and the support of commissioner Bowie Kuhn. Now catering to every MLB and minor league team, along with the winter leagues and some independent teams, Baseball Chapel says its services attract some 3,000 participants each week.

Granderson appreciates how Baseball Chapel helps players fit religion into their busy lives.

“Because of our schedule being as crazy as it is, Baseball Chapel gives us the ability to have a devotional emailed to you, and then weekly we’re able to have chapel, either in your home clubhouse or your road clubhouse,” he said.

“It gives us flexibility, because most of the cities we play in aren’t our home. So if you do have a home-based church, for six to eight months out of the year you don’t have access to it. Baseball Chapel’s been very big to give us the ability as baseball players to keep faith and worship. It’s very cool.”

A higher calling

Taking what he calls the “eternal perspective” didn’t come naturally to Biagini as a younger player.

“I grew up always dreaming about making it to the big leagues. I never really spent a lot of time thinking about what it would be like to be there,” he said.

“I mean, one of the reasons – I’m not proud of this – but probably the biggest reason that I wanted to work so hard and be motivated was to make money, to be successful at the highest level, and to be proud of myself and be respected. Those are worldly goals that are not necessarily the wrong things to pursue, but not necessarily the best things for us in all situations.”

Biagini freely admits that most people would “give their right arm” to be a pro player, and he does consider himself very lucky to have made it. But those on the outside don’t always see the full picture.

“This lifestyle that we live in is sort of a bubble. It’s kind of a crazy experience,” he said. “And I try to thank God every day for the opportunity to experience it, but it also introduces a lot of challenges.”

Biagini says his faith inspires him to help those in “true need,” a habit that formed in high school when he and his classmates went to Mexico annually to build houses. After the 2017 season, Biagini travelled to Guatemala with a faith-based organization called Unlimited Potential International. He was chiefly there to help run baseball camps for local kids in dire need. But he also visited a shelter for sexually trafficked girls and participated in outreach efforts to homeless youth, giving them resources to cope with poverty and drug addiction.

“More than how to throw a curve ball or how to be successful, (I try) to be a good teammate and cultivate a perspective that is appreciative of the things I’ve been given,” Biagini said. “And then in turn looking out into the world and saying, you know, even though I miss so many opportunities every day to help people, I can’t let that discourage the next one that comes up.”

Alford has a similar attitude about seeking out opportunities to live his faith and give back. In January he co-hosted a youth baseball clinic called the Mississippi Dream Series with Granderson and former Blue Jays Fred Lewis. Alford led the session in his hometown of Columbia, Miss., running drills and imparting life advice to about 100 campers ages six to 14.

On a smaller scale, while driving through Dunedin last month Alford stopped to help at the scene of a traffic accident, only to discover that teammate Cavan Biggio was in the car.

Such stories fit with Alford’s upbringing and speak to his priorities. While he remains fully committed to his career, excelling on the field is secondary to living out his higher calling.

“I feel like we serve a great God, a big God,” Alford said, “and baseball is small compared to Him.”