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Music

The Definitive Guide to MLB Walk-Up Music in 2014

From Drake to Lecrae to the player using his own wife's song, this is what MLB players are choosing to walk up to the plate to this season.

How do you know you’re at a baseball game? You can hear music. Yeah, there’s also some sports occurring down on the pitch or gridiron or whatever, but during dips in the action, the PA systems churn out tunes. Sweet, amazing tunes. There’s the overwhelmingly stirring and blessedly patriotic rendition of our national anthem. There’s “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” the oddly dirge-like song that you mumble along with during the seventh-inning stretch while trying to get the beer guy’s attention. There are jock jams and organ sounds. All of which are joyful parts of experiencing America’s pastime.

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But the walk-up songs are the best songs, the songs that define who baseball's heroes are and what they stand for. As the home team’s batters step up to the plate or pitchers go to the mound, they’re accompanied by music of their choosing. Walk-up music is a rare moment of player expression in a team sport that kind of despises on-field individuality. Some players use the same song for years, while others cycle tracks in throughout the season. They like pop country, chart-topping rap, heavy metal, and not many songs sung by women; they choose “Kashmir” and “All Gold Everything” and “Bawitdaba.”

I went through the more than 700 songs that players have used so far this season to compile a definitive guide. Here are the superlative, standout songs:

Most Popular Artist: Drake (Yasiel Puig, Jimmy Rollins, etc.)

The top two genre choices by far are hip-hop and country, along with large doses of hard rock, house, and reggaeton. So it seems appropriate that Drizzy narrowly edged out country-rap formula Jason Aldean for the most popular artist among the pro baseball set. It’s easy to see how Drake’s “I’ve made it to the top and yet just can’t seem to get rid of all this adversity!” approach to cuts like “Trophies” and “All Me” appeals to pro athletes. It's still pretty sad though, that Drake—one of the most famous hat-wearing fans in Toronto Blue Jays history—receives little love from Blue Jays players. This brings up some questions: Do artists care if players use their songs? Does Drake know that being a Blue Jays fan is like living out a Portlandia sketch? Why does Canada still have baseball? Are blue jays cool? Is Drake cool? Are songs cool?

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Best Use of Someone Else’s Entrance Music: “Theme from Last of the Mohicans” (Anthony Recker)

Some players just want a song already proven to strike fear into opponents, so they choose foreboding shit like the Star Wars "Imperial Death March," Stone Cold Steve Austin’s entrance music, and the "Game of Thrones" intro. But the best choice is from Mets backup catcher Anthony Recker. The “Mohicans” theme blends proud Celtic fiddling with visions of Daniel Day-Lewis in long hair and breeches, scampering like a perfect deer through the wilderness for a full package of intimidation.

Best Use of His Own Entrance Music: “The Official Theme Song for Rafael Soriano” (Rafael Soriano)

Yup.

Most Surprising Popular Artist: Lecrae (Josh Hamilton, Brian Roberts, etc.)

Ahead of such luminaries as Pearl Jam and Lil Wayne is Lecrae, who's a household name in the cloistered world of Christian hip-hop and has been overcoming cheesy production and slowly edging into the mainstream, too. He counts Bun B among his supporters, and his video for “Church Clothes” featured a Kendrick Lamar cameo. He's also got a Best Gospel Album Grammy, which is pretty tight. Sample lyric from "Tell the World": "I was low, down, and dirty, but you cleaned me, Lord / Your adopted me, you keep rocking me / I'mma tell the world, and ain't nobody stopping me." Christian-centric tunes have a strong following among religious ballplayers, because the only thing God loves more than baseball is sweet God-themed music. It's definitely working for Josh Hamilton—just check out his injury history and gleaming spirituality. True story: One time when I was in Little League, I crossed myself before I batted to see what would happen. The catcher laughed at me, and then I struck out. God is a lie. Anyway, for heathen fans, Lecrae’s rhymes are way less grating than the melodramatic butt rock of the Christian bands some players choose. Seriously, go listen to Skillet.

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Most Glaring Nepotism: “Behind Me” by Julianna Zobrist (Ben Zobrist)

Can’t fault a dude for using his wife’s music, I guess, even if it’s basically unlistenable (opening lyric: "They say your home is where you are from, and you won't know it 'til you are gone"). Judging by the Zobrists’ website, this selection is pure brand synergy, part of the couple’s plan to establish a media empire based on the timeless American values of faith, family, being underrated at baseball, horribly cheesy music production, and sharing a Twitter account.

Best Song About Baseball: “Batter Up” by Nelly (Brett Lawrie)

Of all the walk-up song possibilities, this might be the most literal choice available. But this song, one of the St. Lunatics’ best, is also an ode to what makes baseball exciting. It starts with an excellent dismissal of shitty old white dude announcers (“Welcome ladies and gentleman / This is Mark…oh-who-gives-a-fuck, from 93 TV”) and moves on to the baseball pleasures of swinging for the fences, stealing bases, and, um, smoking that herb. Also, the video is perfect. Sometimes the simplest option is the best one.

Weirdest: “White Rabbit” by Jefferson Airplane (Trevor Cahill)

The oddest choice in the league is Jefferson Airplane’s 60s psych rock single. For pitchers especially, whose prowess is generally on the other end of the batting arrangement, the walk-up song sets the tone for how they're going to approach the pitcher-batter battle of wits and strength. A typical choice is something like Metallica or AC/DC, which promises eventual batter death by fiery fastball. With these Alice in Wonderland-referencing lyrics and trippy, warbling vocals, Cahill seems more likely to throw a pitch that disappears in thin air and ends up in the catcher's mitt right before the batter falls asleep and wakes up super stoned in a lush, overgrown outfield. A fine choice.

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Most Misguided Commitment to Baseball: “Your Love” by The Outfield (Gordon Beckham, Nick Punto)

“Your Love” is a solid mid-80s new wave tune that wouldn’t feel out of place in the context of the ambient ballpark soundtrack, but it’s pretty indistinguishable from a ton of other songs from that era. The only explanation for multiple players using this song is that all they think about is BASEBALL and they can’t get their minds off BASEBALL and The Outfield is the place where many BASEBALLS go. BASEBALL. Although Beckham and Punto are both infielders, so who knows.

Most Delightful: “The Stroke” by Billy Squier (J.P. Arencibia, Tim Hudson)

With apologies to Shin Soo-Choo’s clutch Opening Day use of “Turn Down for What,” the song carrying out one of the more entertaining sort-of trolling campaigns in baseball is "The Stroke." While the song is allegedly a complex (not really) portrait of rage at the exploitative music industry, we all know that the chorus pretty much sounds like an ode to jerkin' it. Which is a great thing to sneak into a sport obsessed with traditional values. A family-friendly, guttural romp.

Best in (The) Show: “Type of Way” by Rich Homie Quan (Lorenzo Cain)

Amid the groaning nu metal and thundering house music bludgeoning the crowd from stadium speakers is “Type of Way,” the kind of anthem you’d actually want to listen to while sipping a beer and sitting in the sun. Plus it came out last year, which is about as current as it gets for guys who have to cram a year’s worth of cultural free time into three months of offseason while also paying attention to their families. Rich Homie Quan’s breakout track is an instantly listenable, lilting singalong, deserving of the top slot in the walk-up song pantheon.

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Devin Schiff lives in Chicago and roots for the Boston Red Sox. He's on Twitter - @devinschiff

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