Walk Up Mixtape: A List of the Best Walk Up Songs in MLB History
One of the best things to experience at a ballgame is a good walk-up song. In honor of this, I have compiled a mixtape of the best walk-up songs in MLB history.
In his first Spring Training game since signing with the Philadelphia Phillies, Bryce Harper debuted one of the best walk-up songs – the first in this Walk Up Mixtape – in baseball history. I’m talking about Philadelphia’s very own, Will Smith‘s “Fresh Prince of Bel Air”.
Holy crap, Bryce is actually on the Phillies pic.twitter.com/tEMFcUGTrU
— Céspedes Family BBQ (@CespedesBBQ) March 9, 2019
It’s not so much that the song is a classic – in fact, it isn’t – its how perfectly the song resembles Harper’s situation… in reverse.
In “Fresh Prince,” Will was a guy from Philadelphia who moved to the West Coast. Harper, on the other hand, is a boy from the west coast, moving to Philadelphia.
It’s also the nostalgia that the song brings to a generation of fans that grew up watching the television show. A generation that includes none other than Bryce Harper himself.
This got me thinking… what are the best walk-up songs in baseball history?
In honor of Harper and his song selection, I have curated a brief mixtape of what I consider the best walk-up songs in the history of MLB. I
Player: Trevor Hoffman, closer
Song: “Hells Bells” by ACDC
Before Mariano Rivera firmly took the mantle as the greatest closer of all time, the title belonged to Hall of Fame closer Trevor Hoffman. Hoffman was never as dominant as guys like Rivera or Craig Kimbrel or Kenley Jansen, but when it came to closing out a game, he was just as automatic as any.
In his career, Hoffman amassed 601 saves while pitching to a 2.87 ERA and a 1.058 WHIP.
So automatic was Hoffman that upon being called upon to perform his duties on the mound, the loudspeakers Petco Park fittingly blasted the second song on this Walk Up Mixtape, ACDC’s “Hells Bells”. Akin to the Grim Reaper ushering the dead into the afterlife, Hoffman ushered the opposing team to their impending loss.
Watch Hoffman enter to “Hells Bells” HERE!
Player: Craig Kimbrel, closer
Song: “Stranglehold” by Ted Nugent
Craig Kimbrel has already established himself as one of the greatest closers of all time. Among all closers in history with a minimum 500 IP, Kimbrel leads all in ERA (1.91), FIP (1.96), K/9 (14.67).
Kimbrel doesn’t just hold a reputation for his dominance, however. He is also the owner of one of the best walk-up songs in baseball. I’m talking about “Stranglehold” by Ted Nugent, the third song on my Walk Up Mixtape. Like the song, Kimbrel’s presence on the mound means that the game is over.
It’s too bad that with less than 3-weeks before opening day, Kimbrel doesn’t have a team to play for. So slow has the market been for the dominant closer, that, though unlikely, he has actually considered sitting out.
Watch Kimbrel enter to “Stranglehold” HERE!
Player: Mariano River, closer
Song: “Enter Sandman” by Metallica
Mariano Rivera was the most automatic closer to ever do it. In 19 big league seasons, 17 as a closer, Mariano amassed the most saves of any closer in baseball history (652). He also owns the all-time record for games finished (952) and ERA+ (205).
Mariano was so automatic, that you have to imagine opponents viewed him as an utter nightmare. This is why Mariano’s walk-up song, “Enter Sandman” by Metallica, is – again, in my opinion – the greatest ever.
Not only did it signal the end of the game, it also signaled the appearance of a batters worst nightmare, a pitcher so dominant, your bats also couldn’t make it out of the at-bat unscathed.
Watch Mariano Rivera enter to “Enter Sandman” HERE!
Player: Noah Syndergaard
Song: “Game of Thrones Theme Song” by Ramin Djawadi
Noah Syndergaard is one of baseball’s current superstars. Known for his resemblance to the Marvel Comics superhero, Syndergaard is often referred to by his nickname “Thor”.
After showing off his acting chops while he appearing in the hit HBO series, “Game of Thrones”, Syndergaard decided to use the shows theme song when he enters games.
Watch Noah Syndergaard enter to the “Game of Thrones” theme song HERE!
Player: Didi Gregorius, shortstop
Song: “Notorious B.I.G.” by Notorious B.I.G.
When the New York Yankees acquired Didi Gregorius from the Arizona Diamondbacks prior to the 2015 season, many wondered how the 25-year-old infielder would handle filling the shoes of Derek Jeter. Turns out, he’s doing just fine.
A Yankees fan favorite, Didi isn’t just known for his clutch game-tying home run in the 2017 Wild Card game or for smacking 2-home runs off of Corey Kluber in game 5 of the ALDS, he’s also known for his bad-ass walk-up song.
This is why the latest installment of my Walk Up Mixtape is “Notorious B.I.G.” The song is so fitting because the chorus, “No-No-Notorious” rhymes perfectly with… “Gruh-gruh-gruh-Gregorius”.
It’s a match made in heaven.
Player: Brady Anderson, outfielder
Song: “The Brady Bunch Theme Song”
In 1996, Brady Anderson had one of the most unbelievable seasons of all time. It wasn’t so much that the numbers he put together – 50 HR and 110 RBI – were unheard of. By this point, we’ve seen plenty of players smack 50 bombs in a season.
It was that before and after that season, Anderson had never hit more than 24 HR in a season. In fact, despite hitting 50 one season, his average number of HR per season stands at 19 for his career.
If it wasn’t for that immaculate season, however, I would’ve never had the pleasure of hearing the song Anderson walked up to, “The Brady Bunch” theme song.
Player: Ricky Vaughn, pitcher
Song: “Wild Thing” by X
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The final song on my Walk Up Mixtape belongs to a fictional character. Yes, I’m talking about Ricky Vaughn of the classic film “Major League”.
Every time the film comes on and Vaughn makes his final appearance, I still get goosebumps. It’s just so perfect.
You’d have to imagine that every walk-up song after that drew inspiration from Ricky Vaughn. It almost feels like a WWE match, when a wrestler makes a surprise entrance and his/her theme song blares through the arena speakers.
There’s nothing more exciting.
To recap, here’s a list of all of the songs in my Walk Up Mixtape in no particular order:
- “Fresh Prince of Bel Air” by Will Smith
- “Hells Bells” by ACDC
- “Stranglehold” by Ted Nugent
- “Enter Sandman” by Metallica
- “Game of Thrones Theme Song” by Ramin Djawadi
- “Notorious B.I.G.” by Notorious B.I.G.
- “The Brady Bunch” theme song
- “Wild Thing” by X
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Have a suggestion to add to my Mixtape, share it with us in the comments section below. We’d love to hear from you!