/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/68808867/477625728.0.jpg)
Ask any MLB player, and they will tell you that there is nothing more important to the success of an at-bat than the “walk-up” song.
If you choose the wrong song, you might as well plan now for your slow, shameful shuffle back to the bench. If you choose the right song, you might just smash one of the famous pinwheels in center field atop the scoreboard to pieces.
With the young and powerful Sox lineup, it is more important than ever to nail the mood and tone of the stroll up to the plate. Intimidation is key. Energy is a must. And if can amp the crowd as well, then you have yourself a winner.
The White Sox have a history of great walk-up tracks, from Gordon Beckham’s “Your Love” by The Outfield, to Adam Dunn’s “Highway to Hell” by AC/DC. With more attention than ever being paid to the South Siders, the in-game PA needs to be on its game.
Here are the just-announced walk-up tracks for your 2021 Chicago White Sox:
Tim Anderson
Hands by Jewel
“I like that it is about hands, because I use those for hitting. And like, they’re my hands. My own. Not yours. They’re mine. It really resonated with me at a personal level. Because they are my hands. Plus, no one hypes a crowd like Jewel. No one!”
Yoán Moncada
I Want It That Way by The Backstreet Boys
“This was an easy choice for me. When I go up to bat, I think about where I am going to hit the ball. Sometimes this way. Sometimes that way. A lot of times it is that way. So, this song really hits close to home.”
Eloy Jiménez
Happy Birthday by Unknown
“When it is my birthday, I get really excited and energetic. So why not bring that to every at-bat. Like, maybe I won’t get presents every day. But maybe I will. And that would be cool, too. Maybe a PS5 or something. I don’t know. It’s my birthday. Surprise me.”
José Abreu
Theme from Duck Tales by Mark Mueller, performed by Jeff Pescetto
“When I come up to the plate, I want the pitchers picturing Scrooge McDuck diving into his swimming pool of gold. Then, I want them to picture me instead of Scrooge McDuck doing it. Then I will ask them, ‘Are you picturing me instead of Scrooge McDuck diving into that pool if gold?’ If they say yes, it’s homer time, baby.”
Adam Engel
Blue (Da Ba Dee) by Eiffel 65
“This song just gets me on so many levels. But because I play for the White Sox, I always replace ‘blue’ with ‘white’ in my head. ‘I’m white da ba dee da ba dite, da ba dee, da ba dite, da ba dee, da ba dite’. You feel that? Yeah, me too.”
Nick Madrigal
Il Combatimento di Tancredi et Clorinda by Claudio Monteverdi
“My real name is actually Nick Concerto, but my love of large-scale secular vocal music led me to change it a few years ago. I thought about going with The Lute Player, because I am the human equivalent of a lute. But I went with Monteverdi, because I’m a sucker for a banger like everyone else.”
Luis Robert
Fly by Sugar Ray
“I chose this song because I just want to fly. Just like Sugar Ray. And have you seen the clips? I pretty much can.”
Adam Eaton
Photograph by Nickelback
“When you are the best player in baseball, you walk up to the best song ever written. Stop just staring at my greatness and take a photograph, b*tch.”
Yasmani Grandal
Honky Tonk Badonkadonk by Trace Adkins
“When I first heard this song, I knew it was about me. Just like my pitch-framing abilities, my badonkadonk does not quit. And when I strike out, I want people to think ‘I hate to see him go, but love to watch him leave.’”
Zack Collins
When You Believe by Mariah Carey
“I figured that after the Jonathan Lucroy signing, I might need a miracle to get to the plate again, And miracles can be miracles, when you believe. Just another invaluable lesson I have learned from Ms. Carey.”
What are your favorite Sox walk-up tracks of the past? And what would you like to hear from the South Siders in 2021?
Poll
What is the best White Sox walk-up music of all time?
This poll is closed
-
9%
Highway to Hell, AC/DC (Adam Dunn)
-
5%
The Beautiful People, Marilyn Manson (Jim Thome)
-
38%
Harvester of Sorrow, Metallica (Paul Konerko)
-
22%
Your Love, The Outfield (Gordon Beckham)
-
23%
Wild Thing, Tone Loc (Frank Thomas)