Editorials

Alternative Walk-Up Songs for Dodgers Hitters

A batter’s walk-up song is not only a way of getting them ready for the moment; it’s also a way of expressing themselves, as well as connecting with the fans. DJ Severe recently shared each Dodger player’s walk-up/warm-up tune, with familiar choices and new ones alike:

Being a music aficionado myself, I love to sprinkle song references whenever I can in my articles here at Dodgers Nation. Naturally, after seeing Severe’s tweet, I began to jokingly consider my own walk-up songs for various players. This is just for fun, of course, but I’d be lying if I said some of them wouldn’t be absolutely perfect if they were actually used by the player in question. Enjoy!

 

David Freese – “10th Avenue Freeze-Out” by Bruce Springsteen

During the playoffs last year, I channeled Eric Stephen’s pun inclinations on Twitter and joked that a David Freese sacrifice fly was a 10th Avenue Freese-Out. Lest I sound self-congratulatory, it’s a superb pun, combining an unusual surname and a baseball term with a signature song from one of rock’s eminent legends. With its punchy horns and bouncy piano riff, as well as lyrics about how Bruce got his band together, this track from Born to Run would be the best way of heralding the team’s veteran leader.

Plus, since Freese is now the new official Team Dad, it would make sense for him to use a song actual dads listens to. Lastly…I’m a baseball writer. Do I really have to explain any further why I’m a Bruce Springsteen fan?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8OC43MqZXk

 

A.J. Pollock – “How Do You Like Me Now?!” by Toby Keith

In my opinion, Pollock’s actual choice of “The Chain” by Fleetwood Mac is one of the best of anyone on the team. And this track is far from an improvement of any kind, as (lest I alienate any country fans here at DN) I can’t stand Toby Keith.

So why do I choose it? Because it absolutely fits how much he’s proven his doubters wrong, myself very much included. When Pollock was signed in January, the move was derided as a bland follow-up to the unpopular Yasiel Puig trade, an underwhelming alternative to Bryce Harper, or both. Instead, he’s been outstanding so far, with clutch hitting and all-around solid play that should make the 2019 Dodgers more fundamentally sound than in previous years.

I, and many others, have been soundly proven wrong. Even then, Pollock’s humility, his acknowledgement that he’s not the player we wanted while still seeking to make us happy, is part of why I’ve grown to admire him. Which is why it’d be all the better if he decided to rub in his excellent play with a song as boisterous as this.

 

Justin Turner – “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” by U2

Aside from Clayton Kershaw, no one can claim to be the face of the Dodgers this era more than Justin Turner. A SoCal kid and Cal State Fullerton star, his ascendance from anonymous Mets cast-off to Ginger Jesus is one of the best stories in baseball this decade.

Lyrically, the song befits where Turner is now. He has climbed the highest mountains as a Dodger, from being a fan favorite to an All-Star selection to creating the team’s best moment since 1988 with his NLCS walk-off. But for all the things he’s done, he still hasn’t found what he’s looking for: a World Series ring. After back-to-back Fall Classic defeats, Turner describes himself as “psychotic” in his desire to finally climb that summit this time around. He should will himself to it with this song of spiritual longing…one that, it must be noted, was a smash hit around the time of the Dodgers’ last championship.

 

Chris Taylor – “Das Booty” by Planet Booty

Look, let’s not hesitate here: Chris Taylor is absolutely thicc. The only thing more eye-popping than his electric postseason home runs and sliding NLCS catch against Milwaukee is his mountainous derriere. The undisputed king of Dodgers Twitter, Pls, especially devotes many of his tweets to this important matter.

It would only be fitting to have a song celebrating a shapely rear serenade every CT3 at-bat. There are many to choose from, but the optimal one comes from a band whose whole persona is about worshipping the booty. Planet Booty, that is, a superb funk trio from Oakland who crank out tasty body-positive jams like Taylor mashed homers in 2017. This one in particular would suffice:

 

Max Muncy – “Werewolves of London” by Warren Zevon

During his improbable rise last season, Muncy became synonymous with “Brass Monkey” by the Beastie Boys, which led to this popular shirt. But the wolf references by fans, prompted by his grizzled mug, are more ideal fodder for a music meme. And what better song to play that up than Warren Zevon’s irresistible 1978 hit about pina colada-sipping, old lady-mutilating lycanthropes?

Aside from being instantly recognizable and its chorus of “Aooooo” that fans will sing along to, “Werewolves of London” was a surprise hit, as Zevon originally insisted on other songs as the album’s lead single. That would be perfect for a player who was a surprise smash himself. The song isn’t unprecedented as a walk-up jam as well, as Washington’s own scraggly slugger Jayson Werth has used it. To top it off, Zevon is one of the defining figures of Los Angeles rock, so it has regional significance to go along with its meme potential for the Sexwolf.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIPvljWfH00

 

Enrique Hernandez – “Ball of Confusion” by The Temptations

I choose this because it sums up the Rally Banana’s recent inability to remember how many outs there are. Is it one out, or two outs? Ball of confusion, indeed.

 

Alex Verdugo – N/A

He walks up to “Volver, Volver” by Vicente Fernandez. It would be sacrilege to pick an alternative to that.


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3 Comments

  1. I just skimmed over the titles then when back & read each one. You had me a Chris Taylor. Throw me in the ground, I’m dead!

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