It’s the most wonderful time of the year: postseason baseball. Even more wonderful is the Cubs earned home field in the NL playoffs and are the favorite to win it all. With potentially another month of Cubs baseball ahead, I’m practically nauseated with nerves and excitement.
While it was definitely a winning season on the field, the North Siders also won when it came to walk-up songs. No team, not even the White Sox, took their plate music as seriously as the Cubs. They were constantly changing their picks and making the Wrigley Field crowd involved and chair-dancing (or, if you prefer, bleacher-dancing).
I’ve compiled what’s become my favorite tradition as RedEye’s music reporter/die-hard Cubs fan: ranking every players’ walk-up song. Because certain players kept the same songs, I tried to stay as close to my season start rankings as possible, but over the 2016 MLB campaign, the songs got better and players stepped up their game.
And as Cubs’ representative Kevin Saghy, who provided RedEye with the list, notes, the songs are picked by the players and subject to change. Because Wrigley is a family-friendly confines, all songs are edited to be appropriate for everyone—even Pharoahe Monch’s “Simon Says.”
Note: At the time of writing, the Cubs’ 25-man roster for the Division Series had not been announced, so we ranked the entire regular season squad. Now that it is public knowledge, we added *** to signify the players who will see the field.
33. Ben Zobrist (No. 18, infielder)***
Julianna Zobrist — “Behind Me”
Ben Zobrist is one of my favorite baseball players. As a stats nerd, his hitting and on-base percentage have always exceeded expectations. He seems like a cool dude, too, and so does his wife, Julianna Zobrist, who also happens to be a Christian pop singer. That’s cool! They are great to follow on Instagram! She’s obviously musically talented, but Ben Zobrist, like last time when he picked her single “Alive,” is still corny for choosing another one of her songs. Get a room, you two! Like, if Anthony Rizzo hypothetically marries Taylor Swift, he’s banned in my mind from ever walking up to “Bad Blood” again. There’s no way I can accurately rank this, so it’s an automatic last place.
32. Pedro Strop (No. 46, pitcher)***
Dioli — “Penelope”
Sectreto El Famoso Biberon — “Amaneci Contento”
Not a fan of either of these.
31. Joe Smith (No. 30, pitcher)
Jason Aldean — “My Kinda Party”
I’ve made no secret about the fact that I do not like Jason Aldean. When it comes to mainstream country, I’m more of an Eric Church fan. Heck, Brad Paisley and Keith Urban appeal more to me than this guy, who did little to reject the “bro country” criticisms by saying he “can’t distinguish one from the other” when it comes to women country singers.
30. Spencer Patton (No. 45, pitcher)
Turnpike Troubadours — “Long Hot Summer Days”
This roots jam is refreshing for the fiddle and the bluesy-groove. Not totally my thing, though.
29. Jon Lester (No. 34, pitcher)***
Jason Aldean — “Gonna Know We Were Here” (Mound)
Jake Owen — “Barefoot Blue Jean Night” (Plate)
Justin Moore — “Rebel Kids” (Plate alt)
If I know two things about Jon Lester, it’s that he’s a fantastic pitcher and he really loves J-named country singers. Keep doing you, Lester.
28. Matt Szczur (No. 20, outfielder)
X Ambassadors — “Renegades“
I’ll repeat what I said at the start of the season: I don’t think I’ve ever been more aggressively ambivalent about a song. But I will say that I absolutely have loved Szczur’s playing so far this year.
27. Munenori Kawasaki (No. 66, infielder)
Crazy Design and Carlitos Wey — “El Teke Teke”
Baseball is an incredible sport because the Japanese-born Kawasaki picked a Dominican dance hit as his walk-up song. Amazing.
26. Travis Wood (No. 37, pitcher)***
Justin Moore — “How I Got To Be This Way”
I would love to grab a beer with Travis Wood. Dude seems like he’s a blast to hang out with. I’d give him a Bloodshot Records compilation and Whitney’s “Light Upon The Lake,” and he’d invite me to go fishing or something. It’d be a good time, like this country jam.
25. Hector Rondon (No. 56, pitcher)***
Chino y Nacho — “Tu Me Quemas”
Same deal as last year. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, but we could use some variety.
24. Trevor Cahill (No. 53, pitcher)
Limp Bizkit and Method Man — “N 2 Gether Now”
Same as last time: “Last year, I made fun of Cahill for picking a Muse song, and now he’s gone ahead and chosen Limp Bizkit. What a world! I actually like this one, though.”
23. Kyle Hendricks (No. 28, pitcher)***
Aerosmith — “Sweet Emotion”
Hendricks’ last two picks have been Jimi Hendrix, but now he’s gone for another side of classic rock: Aerosmith. It’s a downgrade but still a solid choice.
22. Rob Zastryzny (No. 29, pitcher)
Hermitude (ft. Big K.R.I.T., Mataya & Young Tapz) — “The Buzz”
This is one of those songs that proves why EDM became such a dominant pop music force in the past decade. It’s catchy as hell and, man, is Big K.R.I.T. one of the most underrated rappers or what?
21. Miguel Montero (No. 47, catcher)***
Ricky Martin — “La Mordidita”
He had this song already picked at the beginning of the year, which got him ranked at No. 13. He’s falling down the count a little bit because of the lack of variety and the good picks throughout the roster.
20. Justin Grimm (No. 52, pitcher)***
Brantley Gilbert — “Take It Outside”
The Who — “Baba O’Riley”
Not a fan of Brantley Gilbert, but I do love The Who. Nothing’s more goosebump-inducing than hearing the intro to “Baba O’Riley” at Wrigley. It evens out.
19. Chris Coghlan (No. 8, utility player)***
Stone Cold Entrance Song
Hulk Hogan Entrance — “Real American”
Chris Jericho Entrance — “Break The Walls Down”
New Age Outlaws Entrance — “Oh You Didn’t Know?”
Crowder — “Lift Your Head Weary Sinner”
Looking at these five songs, four of those being famous pro wrestlers’ intro music and one being from a Christian pop singer-songwriter, I realize Chris Coghlan contains multitudes. What a combo! Bonus points for showcasing the duality of man.
18. John Lackey (No. 41, pitcher)***
Garth Brooks — “Friends In Low Places”
While he hasn’t changed it, this is such a perfect song for Lackey. Like Wood’s pick, it just suits him.
17. Jason Hammel (No. 39, pitcher)
Pearl Jam — “Alive”
Same as it ever was. Same as it ever was! Wait, that’s a Talking Heads lyric and not Pearl Jam’s. Shoutout to Cubs fan extraordinaire Eddie Vedder, though.
16. Javier Baez (No. 9, infielder)***
Snow — “Informer”
Farruko — “Visionary”
Both of these tracks are marked improvements over his start-of-the-season pick of Pusho and Daddy Yankee’s “Soy Un Problema.”
15. Tim Federowicz (No. 15, catcher)
The Notorious B.I.G. ft. Ja Rule — “Old Thing Back” (Matoma remix)
50 Cent — “If I Can’t”
Drake — “6 Man”
The recently called up backup catcher has a surprisingly diverse taste in hip-hop. Kudos!
14. Aroldis Chapman (No. 54, pitcher)***
Rage Against The Machine — “Wake Up”
I may have massive problems with Chapman’s off-the-field issues, but “Wake Up” is an instant winner of a walk-up song. The reuse of Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir” riff is perfect.
13. Kris Bryant (No. 17, infielder)***
Kris Kross — “Warm It Up Kris”
I don’t get it. I’ve been trying to figure out why on earth would Kris Bryant pick “Warm It Up Kris” by Kris Kross, but I can’t put a name on it.
12. Mike Montgomery (No. 38, pitcher)***
Lupe Fiasco — “Show Goes On”
The White Stripes — “Seven Nation Army”
Newish Cubs pitcher Mike Montgomery must love ’00s alternative rock because Lupe Fiasco’s “Show Goes” interpolates Modest Mouse’s “Float On” while the White Stripes’ stadium anthem “Seven Nation Army” speaks for itself. We dig it.
11. Carl Edwards Jr. (No. 6, pitcher)***
Notorious B.I.G. — “Big Poppa”
A classic.
10. Jorge Soler (No. 68, outfielder)***
Snap — “The Power”
Future — “Wicked”
Soler’s doing a fine balancing act of obligatory stadium fare with Future.
9. Willson Contreras (No. 40, catcher and outfielder)***
Victor Manuelle — “Que Suenen Los Tambores”
Omega — “Chambonea”
Tambor Urbano — “Leo Leo Le”
Fulanito — “El Cepillo” (Alt)
Pharoahe Monch — “Simon Says” (Backup)
When Willson Contreras was introduced as a Cub, his original walk-up song was Pharoahe Monch’s “Simon Says.” That song has one of the hardest rap beats and in my opinion is the best possible walk-up choice. It’s also crude as hell, which is probably why it’s now his backup song. On the other hand, his recent choices are full of excellent Venezuelan tunes you might not be familiar with. He’s lower than he should be until he makes “Simon Says” his main song again.
8. David Ross (No. 3, catcher)***
Jay Z — “Young Forever“
Tone Loc — “Funky Cold Medina” (Alt.)
This “Young Forever” joke still isn’t getting old, unlike “Grandpa Rossy.” Fun fact: David Ross was a youthful 47 when Tone Loc’s “Funky Cold Medina” came out in 1989.
7. Albert Almora Jr. (No. 5, outfielder)***
Jacob Forever — “Hasta que se Seque Malecon”
Jidenna — “Classic Man”
OutKast — “So Fresh, So Clean”
What a triple threat: Cuban rising star Jacob Forever paired with Jidenna’s 2015 song-of-the-summer contender “Classic Man” and Outkast’s stone-cold classic.
6. Tommy La Stella (No. 2, infielder)***
Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons — “December, 1963 (Oh What a Night)”
La Stella was ranked No. 4 with this iconic tune. He must’ve read my article from opening day and wanted a repeat performance.
5. Anthony Rizzo (No. 44, infielder)***
Martin Solveig and GTA — “Intoxicated”
Brett Eldredge — “Drunk On Your Love”
Taylor Swift — “Bad Blood”
Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch — “Good Vibrations”
Rizzo’s had a winning combination of songs for a long time. Using tracks he picked last year (“Bad Blood”) and new ones from the start of the season, he’s got a four-punch combo fit for a star.
4. Jake Arrieta (No. 49, pitcher)***
Super Duper — “Angela” (Mound)
Slightly Stoopid — “2 AM” (Plate)
Major Lazer and DJ Snake ft. MO — “Lean On” (Bullpen)
By bringing back his 2015 walk-up song “Lean On” as well as adding Super Duper’s paradoxically meditative and energizing “Angela,” Arrieta’s back to his ace-like status as a music listener.
3. Jason Heyward (No. 22, outfielder)***
Kungs vs Cookin on 3 Burners — “This Girl”
Travis Scott ft.. Kid Cudi — “In The Late Night”
Rick Ross ft. Kanye West and Big Sean — “Sanctified”
YG ft. Drake and Kamaiyah — “Why You Always Hatin'”
Along with Fowler, Heyward’s walk-up songs are among the team’s best for their variety and hype level.
2. Addison Russell (No. 27, infielder)***
Chance The Rapper ft. Lil Wayne and 2Chainz — “No Problem”
Joey Badass — “Devastated”
Audio Push ft. Lil Wayne — “Space Jam”
Chance the Rapper is a diehard White Sox fan, has his own line of Sox hats and threw a festival at U.S. Cellular Field. But it’s the Cubs’ Addison Russell that has “No Problem” as his walk-up song. What rivalry?
1. Dexter Fowler (No. 24, outfielder)***
Drake — “Jumpman”
James Brown — “Do It To Death (Gonna Have A Funky Good Time)”
Kanye West — “Fade”
Kanye West, Gucci Mane, 2Chainz, Big Sean, Travis Scott, Desiigner, and Yo Gotti — “Champions”
Dexter Fowler is my favorite Cub and has consistently proved that he’s got better taste in hip-hop than I do. Still the winner at the end of the season.
@joshhterry | jterry@redeyechicago.com
