All 14 Twins Walk-Up Songs Ranked
One of the truly fun things about baseball is the fact that players get to choose their own walk-up music. Imagine, if you will, being at the top of your game. Imagine that you're about to step up to the plate and deliver a slammer that wins the game for your club. Now imagine dropping the needle on one of your favorite songs to announce your moment of triumph.
There's every indication that the Twins dig selecting their walk-up tracks as much as you or I would.
Whether they're as much fun for fans to listen to? That's an entirely different question. That's why we're ranking the 2016 Twins' walk-up selections from worst to best. We wanted to be as fair as possible, but there were some clear favorites when the WCCO.com web team conducted our own internal poll. And a few clear un-favorites.
NOTE: We had a devil of a time trying to figure out which of the many versions of "Dame tu Whatsapp" Eduardo Núñez is actually using. (We weren't alone in our confusion.) We contacted the Twins and cleared it up. Which is good, because the version we initially listened to on Spotify was almost unanimously our least favorite song, whereas the one actually playing at Target Field is ... pretty chill, in fact.
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14. Byung Ho Park: P.O.D., "Boom"
Everything in "Boom" is turned up to 11, and while that makes for good crowd-pumping music, outside of that context it's unbearable to listen to. Also, this song is played during every sporting event in every stadium in the country. It'd be nice to have little more originality from the Twins' new power hitter. (Anthony Brousseau)
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13. Miguel Sano: El Mayor Clasico, "De Vitrina"
The refrain for this track sounds like a B sci-fi movie theme collided with an inexplicably enthusiastic drum machine. It manages to be somehow both eerie and annoying. Perhaps the song is strategically chosen to offset the batter's opponents. (Jonathon Sharp)
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12. Eddie Rosario: Don Omar, "Blin Blin"
There's not much to get the crowd going. The song goes for a full minute before the beat drops, and Eddie Rosario's portion falls within this first minute. Aside from just being anti-climactic, it also sounds eerily like "Gasolina" but without the upbeat tempo and annoying chorus. (Katie Fraser)
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11. Danny Santana: Mozart La Para, "Levantate"
Danceable with a nice upbeat tempo, Santana's walk-up song is serviceable. Oh, and "Levantate" translates to "get up" or "stand up", which of course works well as a walk-up song. (Cole Premo)
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10. Joe Mauer: T.I., "What You Know"
Love it or hate it, you really have to commend Joe Mauer for sticking with the same song since 2006. At the same time … come on, man. Change the song already. One decade of T.I. is probably enough. (Premo)
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9. Oswaldo Arcia: Silvestre Dangond & Juancho de la Espriella, "La Gringa"
It's certainly energetic and zippy, there's no doubt about that. And if it sounds a little too generic to stand out from the pack, at least it has those hysterical lyrics about using Google translation to figure out what the title character's talking about, a line this author translated using ... Google translation. (Eric Henderson)
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8. Eduardo Núñez: El Karma, "Dame Tu Whatsapp"
No doubt Eduardo Nuñez is hearing this song in his head every time he walks into the club, but does that swag translate onto the field? On the list of messenger app-based songs, El Karma probably ranks on the lower end, but Nuñez may be onto something here. No need to blare some big anthem about how awesome you are (looking at you, Joe Mauer), but keep it relaxed and showcase some style before knocking one out of the park. (Sam Radwany)
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7. Brian Dozier: Fetty Wap feat. Monty, "Jugg"
Because it goes from zero to feel-good in about three seconds, this is an ideal walk-up track. No build up needed. The joy just alights like a fireworks display, granting all who listen a quick shot of auto-tuned confidence. (Sharp)
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6. Kurt Suzuki: Gregory Isaacs, "Night Nurse"
This is perhaps the most relaxing, groovy and downright weird choice for a walk-up song, but it fits Hawaiian-born Kurt Suzuki like his catcher's mitt. Not that Suzuki's weird or anything, but players rarely go for a mellow tune as they strut to the plate. "Night nurse, only you alone can quench this here thirst." See! Mellow yet weird! Go on and do your thing, Kurt! (Steve Swanson)
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5. Eduardo Escobar: Daddy Yankee feat. Natalia Jimenez, "La Noche de los Dos"
Kind of a page ripped right out of the playbook of Pitbull, but that's hardly a mark in the debit column when it comes to choosing a walk-up tune. As barked by Puerto Rican vocalist Daddy Yankee, the things perhaps lost in translation in Minnesota -- hooks like "I pull out the big machine" -- are a relief. (Henderson)
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4. Trevor Plouffe: Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, "Down Foe My Thang"
Trevor Plouffe gets points here for not picking one of Bone Thugs' more well-known (and totally overplayed) songs, like "Thuggish Ruggish Bone," or "Crossroads." It's also got just the perfect amount of swagger to stroll up to the plate and cast an intimidating eye to the pitcher, while the crowd grooves on. (Radwany)
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3. Max Kepler: Sounds of Mischief, "93 'Til Infinity"
This is a great walk-up song because it's so unique. While '90s hip-hop isn't uncommon for batters, a song this laid-back is a pleasantly surprising choice from Kepler. (Brousseau)
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2. John Ryan Murphy: Blackstreet feat. Dr. Dre, "No Diggity"
As a child of the '90s, it's hard to pick a more quintessential song for the decade. It may not be the flashiest song, but its smooth beat and lyrics make a statement. John Ryan Murphy has got game by the pound, true player way. (Fraser)
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1. Byron Buxton: Parliament, "Flash Light"
Byron Buxton's walk-up song is number one for a variety of reasons. It's the oldest, most recognizable and most influential tune on the list. And it's really the perfect song for the struggling Buxton, who desperately "needs the funk." Please, George Clinton, "help him find the funk!" (Swanson)
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