If the birds seem to be chirping a little more and your step has a little extra skip in it, it’s probably because baseball season is back in Chicago. Now that we’re more than two weeks into the 2016 campaign and awesomely, both the White Sox and the Cubs are off to good starts, I have revived my ranking of each player’s walk-up music. Let’s start with the South Siders.
25. J.B. Shuck (No. 20, outfielder)*
Brantley Gilbert — “Small Town Throwdown”
This song is perfect for raising a little hell, getting a keg and saying the word “rumble” because all those things happen in this song. Shout-out to testosterone and drinking things!
24. Dan Jennings (No. 43, pitcher)
KB — “Here We Go”
This song kind of sounds like two songs playing at the same time. I’ve never heard of this artist, but he reminds me of Christian hip-hop artist Lecrae but with worse flows. That, plus the pandering EDM doesn’t really make this a solid choice.
23. Nate Jones (No. 65, pitcher)
Brantley Gilbert — “Take It Outside”
This song is perfect for picking up your tab, getting into a bar fight and saying the word “gunslinger” because all those things happen in this song. Shout-out to testosterone and hitting things!
22. Avisail Garcia (No. 26, outfielder)
Alexio “La Bestia” — “Tumba La Casa”
This song takes a little bit to get going, but once it does, prepare for some hip-shaking. Still, it’s a little meandering and not really my jam.
21. Jerry Sands (No. 41, outfielder)
Florida Georgia Line — “It’z Just What We Do”
I’ve mentioned my distaste for the bro-country rap stylings of Florida Georgia Line more times than I’d care to rehash. But I will just say this band is the aural equivalent of getting a paper cut between your fingers.
20. Jose Quintana (No. 62, pitcher)
Tego Calderon — “Punto Y Aparte”
From its minimal beat to the thumping bass, at first I’m absolutely entranced by this one. But as it goes on I don’t see it warranting repeat listens.
19. Mat Latos (No. 38, pitcher)
AFI — “Miseria Cantare (The Beginning)”
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I wonder if Latos is going to Riot Fest this year. If there was one Sox player I’d expect to love “Sing The Sorrow”-era AFI, I’d put my money on Brett Lawrie. This team is full of surprises.
18. Carlos Rodon (No. 55, pitcher)
J Cole — “Work Out”
I’m going to get a lot of mean comments for this, but J Cole didn’t get cool until the pretty good “2014 Forest Hills Drive” or, if I’m being nice, when news broke of a rumored collab with Kendrick Lamar. This song, one of his biggest hits, is just fine. Whatever.
17. Todd Frazier (No. 21, infielder)
Frank Sinatra — “Come Fly With Me”
A classic song that’s ranked so low solely for the fact that I can’t stop thinking of airline commercials whenever I hear it. Also, walk-up songs are supposed to be rave-ups. Does Sinatra cut it? Does it matter? Probably not.
16. David Robertson (No. 30, pitcher)
Metallica — “Wherever I May Roam”
This “Black Album” highlight opens with one of the most menacing riffs ever—a perfect way to strike fear into the heart of opposing batters.
15. Jake Petricka (No. 52, pitcher)
Foo Fighters — “The Pretender”
As much as I’m sick of the music press writing about everything Dave Grohl does (i.e. “Rock God Dave Grohl epically eats ham sandwich! Rawk!”), the Foo Fighters frontman is undeniably responsible for stellar songs (“Everlong” ’til I die). “The Pretender” is no different, and Petricka could do a whole lot worse than this rocker.
14. John Danks (No. 50, pitcher)
Eric Church — “The Outsiders”
I love Eric Church. Out of all the major country stars, none has the everyman, Bruce Springsteen-lovin’ charm of Church. Thanks for taking The Cell to Church, John Danks.
13. Dioner Navarro (No. 27, catcher)
K’naan — “Wavin’ Flag”
K’naan, the Somalian/Canadian rapper, is no stranger to having his music used in sports. “Wavin’ Flag” inspired many when it was used as Coca-Cola’s official song for the 2010 World Cup, so Navarro is on the money when it comes to a crowd-pleasing stadium anthem.
12. Jimmy Rollins (No. 7, infielder)
Common — “Go!”
The only Chicago song on a Chicago team’s roster. Points to veteran Rollins but negative points for the John Mayer cameo on this track. Still, positive points for Kanye West.
11. Adam Eaton (No. 1, outfielder)
class=”li2″>Blackstreet — “No Diggity”
Like Kyle Schwarber, who socked dingers for the Cubs last year with this walk-up tune, Eaton also hits it out of the park. It’s ranked relatively low only because of its ubiquity.
10. Tyler Saladino (No. 18, infielder)
Klingande — “Jubel (Original Mix)”
While Klingande is French and plays tropical house music—a relatively commercialized and in-vogue form of the genre—house music originated in Chicago. I dig this track a lot more than I’d expected, which might be due to the cheesy sax or the general vibe that is unsurprisingly “chill.” It’s a left-field pick (this joke would work better if he played left field) but it’s still solid.
9. Alex Avila (No. 31, catcher)
Metallica — “Seek and Destroy”
“Kill ‘Em All” is my favorite Metallica album (I know it’s weird), but as far as badass riffs go (and there are many in this band’s career), this has to be the best. A-plus for you, Mr. Avila. The only thing that would make this better is if it were The Stooges’ “Raw Power” cut “Search and Destroy.”
8. Zach Putnam (No. 57, pitcher)
OB OBrien (feat. Drake and P. Reign) — “Schemin’ Up”
Though the Cubs’ Dexter Fowler has the best Drake walk-up song right now with “Jumpman,” Putnam earns extra credit for choosing this underrated feature verse from 2014.
7. Jose Abreu (No. 79, infielder)
Laritza Bacallao — “Solo Se Vive Una Vez”
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Like Abreu’s bat, this song is absolutely on fire. I can see much of the South Side putting this banger on summer playlists with every home run from the team’s star.
6. Matt Albers (No. 34, pitcher)
Rage Against the Machine — “Sleep Now in the Fire”
This song is a ripper. I remember countless times jumping up and down while listening to this track. However, nothing says Rage Against the Machine more than a walk-up song for a multibillion-dollar sports league. Oh, and guitarist Tom Morello is a die-hard Cubs fan. Good pick, though.
5. Zach Duke (No. 33, pitcher)
Heart — “Magic Man”
Kudos to Duke for throwing some needed relief work in the bullpen this year, and kudos to him for picking a Heart song that’s not “Barracuda” or “Crazy on You.” This is a really great choice, and judging from his 2015 selection of Led Zeppelin’s “Rock and Roll,” this left-hander has solid taste in classic rock.
4. Brett Lawrie (No. 15, infielder)
Lawrie is a wild card. While last year he was known for walking up to Queen’s “Fat Bottomed Girls,” this time he’s added points for creativity: making his own walk-up mix. Because I haven’t been to a game at The Cell yet and Sox representatives didn’t clarify, I can only speculate on what the infielder cooked up.
2 (tie). Chris Sale (No. 49, pitcher) and Melky Cabrera (No. 53, outfielder)
No song selected
When I heard from Sox officials that Sale and Cabrera had still not selected walk-up songs, I at first thought it was really lame. Then I realized its brilliance. Walk-up music is such an accepted part of the game, and what’s more jarring than pure silence? Nothing! Wow. It’s a foolproof plan. Also, sometimes music is bad.
1. Austin Jackson (No. 10, outfielder)
Kendrick Lamar — “Alright”
Austin Jackson sticks to his gut. When the veteran outfielder played for the Cubs last year, his song was still the No. 1 track of 2015, “Alright.” And yes, at the time I ranked him third purely because Starlin Castro’s song “Ando En La Versace” by Omega was such a community-building event at Wrigley and Dexter Fowler’s evolving rotation of songs were nearly unassailable. On his new team, Jackson’s the clear winner.
* Shuck was optioned to the minors Monday but probably won’t be there long.
@joshhterry | [email protected]
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