Rand: Twins' walk-up music tastes vary widely, but John Ryan Murphy at top

April 13, 2016 at 2:52AM
vintage vinyl player, retro film filtered, instagram style
The Twins’ taste in walk-up music varies widely from Oswaldo Arcia’s “La Gringa” to John Ryan Murphy’s “No Diggity.” (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Tuesday was an off day for the Twins — a chance for players to get their minds right (and perhaps their bats, gloves and arms as well). I doubt it was an off day when it came to fans fretting about an 0-7 start, but indulge me for a few moments as I venture into an area where a Twins player can be a winner simply by walking to the plate, no matter what happens. Yes, let's talk about the 2016 Twins' walk-up music.

Here are my power rankings, from top to bottom:

14. Oswaldo Arcia ("La Gringa," Silvestre Dangond): This song doesn't make me want to swing the bat. It makes me the exact opposite of calm. I'm glad Arcia likes it.

13. Brian Dozier ("Jugg," Fetty Wap): Is this a "Saturday Night Live" parody of a rap song? It's not? Oh.

12. Joe Mauer ("What You Know," T.I.): I actually like this song. I'm just tired of this song. I bet I've heard the start of this song more than 1,000 times because of Mauer. I bet he has it as his wake-up alarm ringtone. I bet when he's 80, he'll still listen to this song every day.

11. Eddie Rosario ("Blin Blin," Don Omar): I can see how this would get Eddie ready to hit, I just don't like the beat. Personal taste more than anything.

10. Miguel Sano ("El Mayor Clasico," De Vitrina): Makes me want to do 37 things at once, not concentrate on the difference between a fastball and a slider.

9. Danny Santana ("Levantate," Morzat La Para): This song is upbeat and harmless, though a little bland.

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8. Kurt Suzuki ("Night Nurse," Gregory Isaacs): This comes down to personal preference since reggae is quite possibly my least favorite genre. Nice surprise, though. You could have given me 1 million years to predict what every Twins hitter would pick for their music this season and I don't know if I would have gotten to "Night Nurse."

7. Eduardo Nunez ("Dame tu Whatsapp," El Karma): This song has an urgency without scattering my attention.

6. Trevor Plouffe ("Down Foe My Thang," Bone Thugs-N-Harmony): This is one of Bone Thugs' most aggressive songs, and a solid choice by Plouffe.

5. Eduardo Escobar ("La Noche De Los Dos," Daddy Yankee): Much as he is as a hitter, Escobar is a sneaky entrant among the Twins' best when it comes to walk-up music.

4. Byung Ho Park ("Boom," P.O.D.): This is pretty much perfect for a power hitter. "BOOM! Here comes the BOOM!" This song will be better when/if Park isn't striking out in half his plate appearances.

3. Max Kepler ("93 'til Infinity," Souls of Mischief): Whoa, talk about another surprise. I can only guess that Kepler — born in 1993, which is when this song came out, hence the name — likes not only the overall vibe but the shout-out to his birth year.

2. Byron Buxton ("Flashlight," Parliament): Another young fella going old-school. Love it.

1. John Ryan Murphy ("No Diggity," Blackstreet): No Diggity is simply one of the greatest songs of all time. And it also happens to be fantastic as walk-up music.

I haven't been as excited about a walk-up music choice since Corey Koskie was strolling up to Blur's "Song 2."

about the writer

about the writer

Michael Rand

Columnist / Reporter

Michael Rand is the Minnesota Star Tribune's Digital Sports Senior Writer and host/creator of the Daily Delivery podcast. In 25 years covering Minnesota sports at the Minnesota Star Tribune, he has seen just about everything (except, of course, a Vikings Super Bowl).

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