Player Initiatives & Programs

Each year, Dane holds several community give-back campaigns to benefit the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, an organization that has become close to his heart due to his wife Rachel’s important work with those afflicted by the disease.

In 2021 and 2022, Dane hosted the Stream to End MS Rocket League Showdown gaming event, raising $35,000 for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Celebrities across the Esports community supported Dane’s fundraising efforts, including LuLu Lovely.

Dane also partnered with the Big League Impact #ALLWIN Texas Campaign, pledging donations per strikeout and team win to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, bringing his season-end total to $15,000. He also partnered with Big League Impact in a virtual Fantasy Football League, raising $5,000 for the National MS Society, and participated in the Rangers’ MS Recognition Night at Globe Life Field.

In 2023, Dane again partnered with the Big League Impact #ALLWIN Texas Campaign, donating $25 per strikeout and $50 per team win to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

And, in January of 2024, Dane hosted his third Stream to End MS gaming event, raising nearly $25,000 to benefit those affected by MS.

Since signing with the Rangers in December 2021, Jon Gray and his wife, Jacklyn, have been incredibly active in the community.

Established in 2022, their #MissionGrayWolf22 program hosts deserving military personnel at every Saturday home game for a unique gameday experience with Q&A sessions, autographs, and photo ops. The program's success earned Gray the 2023 Bob Feller Act of Valor Award, which he accepted at an award ceremony in Washington, D.C., last November.

In 2023, Jon also teamed up with The Birthday Party Project, a Dallas-based organization whose mission is to bring joy to children experiencing homelessness through the magic of a birthday celebration. Jon and Jacklyn hosted four parties at Globe Life Field last year for area children.

Jon joined his Texas Rangers athletic training staff in their annual community PLAY campaign at Globe Life Field in August 2023, where he worked with 100 young ball players on pitching techniques and shared valuable life advice.

Each season, Jon also donates $100 per strikeout to The Pawerful Rescue, and in 2023 added a $500 donation per personal win to Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation partner, the Adaptive Training Foundation.

For the last two years, the Grays have also hosted the annual Texas Rangers Toy Drive, collecting hundreds of toys for families served by local non-profit Mission Arlington Mission Metroplex.

In addition to being presented with the prestigious Bob Feller Award, Jon was recognized for his work in the community as the Rangers' 2023 Roberto Clemente Award winner.

Shortstop Corey Seager and his wife, Mady, have actively supported North Texas youth through their 2023 – 24 community initiatives.

Corey has hosted two hitting clinics for Texas Rangers Youth Academy baseball players alongside his father and longtime coach, Jeff Seager, as well as bench coach and offensive coordinator Donnie Ecker and assistant hitting coach Seth Conner.

Batters of varying ages took swings in front of Seager and company to receive individualized tips and tweaks to help them improve at the plate.

At the end of each clinic, Corey and Mady also gifted “Seager’s Squad” new Adidas bags, batting gloves, turf cleats, dry-fit t-shirts, water bottles, and a powder blue Texas Rangers ball cap.

In addition to hosting his own Youth Academy hitting clinics, Corey and Mady assisted Marcus and Tarah Semien in distributing boxes of fresh produce and non-perishables at the Semien Family Food Distribution finale last August.

The Seagers also hosted a back-to-school shopping spree for 50 Arlington ISD students involved in the AISD Student Outreach Services program.

Corey and Mady shopped alongside families at the Arlington Academy Sports & Outdoors, purchasing hundreds of dollars in apparel for the middle school and high school students identified to participate.

Teammates Josh Jung, Marcus Semien, Josh Smith, and their significant others joined the Seagers at the back-to-school event, in addition to General Manager Chris Young and family.

To start 2024, Corey joined forces with the Rangers Foundation and MLB to transform Arlington’s long-standing Senter Park, making the dual field facility better suited for play, while revamping spaces off the field to benefit players and spectators alike.

The new MLB & Texas Rangers All-Star Legacy Park will also include the Corey Seager Batting Cages, donated by Corey and Mady. The batting cages will be turfed under a hardcover structure with interior lighting, providing a player warm-up area that did not previously exist.

Since first signing with the Rangers, the 2023 MLBPAA Heart & Hustle Award winner, Marcus Semien, has been extremely active in the North Texas community.

Last summer, the Semien Family donated to the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation to provide meals to Texas Rangers Youth Academy families through non-profit organization Food for the Soul. As part of the 10-week program, over 1,500 boxes of fresh produce and shelf-stable goods were given to Academy athletes participating in baseball and softball programming to support their nutrition throughout the summer months.

Marcus’ teammates Josh Jung and Corey Seager along with their significant others, participated in the Semien Family Food Distribution finale on August 4 alongside Marcus, his wife Tarah, and their three sons.

Marcus also attended the 2023 Nike RBI Southwest Regional Tournament, where he joined the Rangers Nike RBI senior baseball team in the dugout and helped secure $5,000 worth of equipment courtesy of Nike.

Additionally, Semien has participated in two Equip The Future ™ events with The Players Alliance, which creates mentorship opportunities for baseball and softball players to gain insight from current and former professional players on how to be successful in the game and become better prepared for challenges faced on and off the field.

Marcus attended the Rangers Foundation’s MLK Day of Service in January 2023, which included a food distribution and Equip the Future program for 50 Texas Rangers Youth Academy athletes.

And, for Jackie Robinson Day in Houston, Marcus and fellow Rangers teamed up with the Astros to again mentor young athletes, this time from the Astros Youth Academy and Houston area high schools.

Marcus also participated in the Texas Rangers Youth Academy 2022 and 2023 Thanksgiving dinner distribution events and occasionally drops by Youth Academy baseball and softball programming to visit with the players and coaches.

To begin 2024, Marcus supported the Rangers Foundation in hosting diverse community leaders at Globe Life Field, where he spoke on the importance of expanding the game through programs like the All-Star HBCU Swingman Classic and the Rangers’ HBCU Diamond Day.

Third base coach Tony Beasley regularly supports the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation and its military initiatives, including the Faces for Freedom Program.

During pre-game batting practices, Tony meets with Faces of Freedom honorees and their families and often joins those recognized throughout the season on the celebratory sight-seeing trip to Washington, D.C., in November.

As a cancer survivor, Tony is also active in the Rangers' Stand Up to Cancer and Childhood Cancer Awareness initiatives throughout the season.

He’s an avid supporter of the Texas Rangers Youth Academy and a participant in the Texas Rangers Coaches’ Clinic, where he worked with over 100 DFW-based youth baseball and softball coaches and assisted in community food distributions for Academy families.

Beasly has also worked with The Players Alliance in their Equip The Future ™ program, mentoring young athletes from the Rangers and Houston Astros Youth Academies.

Tony can always be seen at Texas Rangers home games signing autographs and interacting with fans pre-game and often catches ceremonial first pitches behind the plate.

Coach Bobby Wilson

Texas Rangers catching coordinator Bobby Wilson is raising money to support families battling cancer through a hoodie campaign.

Bobby designed the blue hoodies with a Texas-inspired catcher’s mask across the chest and “Hector Strong” written on the left sleeve, a message of encouragement that honors his friend and former Rangers coach Héctor Ortiz, who recently succumbed to his battle with cancer.

Hoodies are available for purchase in the Grand Slam Team Store at Globe Life Field for $40 each, with proceeds benefitting the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation in their mission to support families battling cancer.

The Texas Rangers athletic training staff, with help from pitcher Jon Gray, hosted their annual PBATS PLAY Campaign at Globe Life Field on Friday, August 4.

Nearly 100 youth baseball and softball players participated in this year’s event, where they were educated on the importance of living a healthy and active lifestyle and decision-making regarding performance-enhancing drugs.

PLAY, which stands for Promoting a Lifetime of Activity for Youth, is a national public awareness campaign of the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society (PBATS) in conjunction with the Taylor Hooton Foundation, the Henry Schein Cares Foundation, and MLB Charities.

Head athletic trainer Matt Lucero, athletic trainers Jacob Newburn and Sean Fields, strength and conditioning coaches Jose Vazquez and Albert Sandoval, and performance dietician Katie McInnis led the event.

Throughout the season, Texas Rangers players and coaches sign free pre-game autographs, presented by Golden Chick, as part of Family Fun Tuesdays.

For every Tuesday home game, Rangers will sign autographs for kids 13 and under behind section 223 from 5:30 – 6 p.m.

For more information, visit rangers.com/familyfun.

2024 Winter Caravan

During the offseason, the 2023 World Champion Texas Rangers took to the community to sign autographs and meet fans across Texas and Oklahoma alongside the Commissioner’s Trophy as part of the 2024 Kroger Winter Caravan, presented by Coca-Cola.

From January 9-31, Texas Rangers players, coaches, alumni, and broadcasters had a jam-packed month that included:

• Player appearances and autograph signings at 11 public stops throughout Texas and Oklahoma.
• Participating in Fan Fest for Double-A Affiliate Frisco RoughRiders and the pre-season reception for Triple-A Affiliate Round Rock Express
• Hosting a Texas Rangers Coaches’ Clinic for youth baseball and softball coaches across the Metroplex at the Texas Rangers Youth Academy.
• Speaking at civic clubs and luncheons in Dallas, Longview, Lubbock, and Waco.
• Visiting the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in Waco and unveiling the new World Series exhibit.
• 50+ current and former players signing autographs and participating in Q&A sessions for over 8,000 attendees at the 2024 Texas Rangers Fan Fest

Participants in the 2024 Winter Caravan & Fan Fest included players Grant Anderson, Cody Bradford, Jacob deGrom, Dane Dunning, Nathan Eovaldi, Justin Foscue, Adolis García, Jon Gray, Andrew Heaney, Jonah Heim, Jonathan Hernández, Josh Jung, Wyatt Langford, Jake Latz, Nathaniel Lowe, Tyler Mahle, Josh Sborz, Max Scherzer, Corey Seager, Marcus Semien, Josh Smith, and Leody Taveras, general manager Chris Young, manager Bruce Bochy, coaches Tony Beasley, Seth Conner, Donner Ecker, Logan Frandsen, Brett Hayes, and Mike Maddux, alumni, Robinson Chirinos, Tom Grieve, Derek Holland, Pete Incaviglia, Fergie Jenkins, David Murphy, Darren Oliver, Jeff Russell, and Iván Rodríguez, and broadcasters Emily Jones, Matt Hicks, Eric Nadel, Dave Raymond, and Jared Sandler.

The Texas Rangers Families consisting of players’ wives, fiancées, and significant others, host several fundraising and community events throughout the season.

In 2023 the Texas Rangers Families hosted “Gold Ball Mystery Bag” and “Players’ Favorite Basket” fundraisers, organized back-to-school donations, the Texas Rangers Toy Drive, and participated in various community initiatives.

To kick off last year’s fundraising efforts, Texas Rangers families created a 2023-24 Pet Calendar, led by Jacklyn Gray, to benefit The Pawerful Rescue in their work to ensure every pet has a safe home. Sales from the sold-out calendar raised $13,000 for The Pawerful Rescue.

Mady Seager led the 2023 Prom Series initiative, where each player family purchased back-to-school outfits and accessories for teen girls from Hope Local and donated additional clothes to the “Hope Local Closet.” Hope Local’s mission is to give vulnerable families in the community the love, support, and guidance required to find success.

Rachel Dunning led the 2023 Gold Ball Mystery Bag fundraising event, with proceeds benefitting the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Gold Ball Mystery Bags were sold for $50 each at the Rangers-Brewers game on August 18 and raised $17,500 for those afflicted by MS. Fans who found one of eight “Gold Balls” also received four tickets in the Lexus Club for a 2023 regular season game, donated by the Seagers.

In September 2023, Texas Rangers families raised $10,000 for the Humane Society of North Texas through the pet collar mystery bandana fundraiser that features 100 pet bandanas signed by current Texas Rangers players, with 10 lucky winners also receiving an autographed baseball.

Jacklyn Gray led the Rangers Families in hosting the “Players’ Favorite Basket” silent auction late last September, with proceeds benefiting The Birthday Party Project.

Fans bid on an assortment of baskets created by players’ significant others stuffed with autographed items and a collection of their favorite things, raising $12,500 to benefit The Birthday Pary Project.

Texas Rangers Families also regularly participate in volunteer activities around the community, including the Semien Family Food Distributions that took place at the Texas Rangers Youth Academy last summer and the Seager’s Back to School Shopping Spree for Arlington ISD students.

Former Rangers third baseman and current Bally Sports Southwest broadcaster Steve Buechele frequently visits the Texas Rangers Youth Academy in West Dallas. In 2022, Buechele joined the action on-field at the Rangers Nike RBI Takeover event during PLAY BALL Weekend to toss the ceremonial first pitch and coach a participating team.

In April 2023, Buechele teamed up with fellow Rangers alum Mark McLemore to participate in C5 Texas’ student-led leadership summit. The nonprofit C5 Texas received one of the Rangers Foundation’s 50th Anniversary Legacy Grants in 2022. Buechele worked with over 50 DFW-based students, sharing advice and answering questions during the career exploration portion of the week-long summit.

Mark McLemore, former Rangers player and current Bally Sports Southwest Broadcaster, coached a youth team at the Texas Rangers Youth Academy during the 2022 Rangers Nike RBI Takeover event in June. Joining McLemore at the event was fellow Rangers Alumni Steve Buechele, who coached the opposing team.

McLemore also participated in the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation’s press event announcing the 50th Anniversary Legacy Grant Program and assisted in a $5,000 check presentation to the Sam Houston High School baseball team.

In 2023, McLemore teamed up with fellow Rangers alum Steve Buechele to participate in C5 Texas’ student-led leadership summit. The nonprofit C5 Texas received one of the Rangers Foundation’s 50th Anniversary Legacy Grants in 2022. McLemore worked with over 50 DFW-based students, sharing advice and answering questions during the career exploration portion of the week-long summit.

José Guzmán (1985-1992)

In 2022, José participated in the PlayersTV Hispanic Heritage event in collaboration with DFW organization Primos Dallas. During the event, Latino, Hispanic, and Mexican pro-athletes from the Metroplex, including José, interacted with and mentored children in the community to help establish connections they can utilize in the future.

José also traveled to Uvalde, Texas, with representatives from the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation and Houston Astros Foundation. There he participated in a community picnic in conjunction with the announcement that MLB would donate funds from the Winter Meeting’s charity auction to establish a new Boys & Girls Club following the tragic shooting at Robb Elementary School.

Darren Oliver (1993-98, 2000-01)

Darren hosts an annual end-of-the-year holiday party to assist families that have completed financial education courses by offering a helping hand as they work to break the poverty cycle and provide a better life for their children.

Families from Arlington Urban Ministries that have completed the Thriving Families Program and Buckner International Families that have completed the Faith & Finance Classes receive invitations to celebrate the holidays with Darren and his family.

Party guests receive dinner, gift cards for the children and adults, toys, and household essentials.

Each year dozens of Texas Rangers alumni participate in the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation Golf Tournament, playing alongside community members and sponsors in the 18-hole charity golf event.