It’s the middle of May and the weather is improving. It’s getting harder and harder to ignore the fact that the baseball season should be well under way by now.
I miss Citizens Bank Park so much. I miss the sounds of the ballpark the most. This includes the sound of a home run off Bryce Harper’s bat, as well as the songs played over the PA system before he hits said home run. I’m yearning for the days where goosebumps crept up my arms as Chase Utley walked up to the plate.
To cope with the way I feel, I have been repeatedly listening to the songs I’m used to hearing at the park. I have now decided to rank them.
I should preface this by saying that I am a female in my early 20’s. Your music taste may be drastically different than mine. The list isn’t a ranking of the most memorable songs but rather my favorites. You are free to feel angered by any of my choices but just know that I don’t care.
Some cuts had to be made as well. There were a couple of Jimmy Rollins songs I could not show my appreciation for. Andrew Knapp, who many of his teammates call the DJ of the clubhouse, was excluded from the list despite having a few great song choices.
Also, there’s a heavy emphasis on more recent walk-up songs and songs of the glory days from 2008 to 2011. Feel free to check out the list of 2019 Phillies walk-up songs when you’re done reading.
No. 40 – Pedro Feliz – Faint by Linkin Park
This is not my favorite Linkin Park song but the fact that Pedro Feliz used Linkin Park is pretty remarkable.
No. 39 – Hunter Pence – A Warrior’s Call by Volbeat
I associate a song like this more with the Flyers coming out of the tunnel for a huge third period but it seemed to work for this Phillies cult hero.
No. 38 – Jake Arrieta – Clubbed to Death by Rob Dougan
This song is from one of the best scenes of one of the best movies in cinematic history.
And Jake Arrieta used it in 2018.
No. 37 – Grady Sizemore – m.A.A.d city by Kendrick Lamar
He played for the Phillies?
No. 36 – Laynce Nix – Heart of the City (Ain’t No Love) by Jay-Z
Ain’t no love, in the heart of South Philly.
No. 35 – Héctor Neris – Bum Bam Ven by Musicologo The Libro
When Héctor Neris emerges from the bullpen, his song creates a party atmosphere in Citizens Bank Park. For some reason when it plays, it’s way too loud but it’s always fun to see the night’s designated fun dad dancing to it heading into the bottom of the ninth.
No. 34 – Bryce Harper – No Words by Big Wild
Harper does what most major league hitters should do: have more than one walk-up song. He had no less than four songs for each game during the regular season. While this one was one of his more forgettable songs, I find it super relaxing, which is the kind of vibe needed heading into his third at-bat of the game.
No. 33 – Vince Velasquez – Vivrant Thing by Q-Tip
I love 90’s rap and hip-hop and I’m glad it hasn’t gone away in baseball.
Vince Velasquez used “Outstanding” by The Gap Band as his warm-up song last season, so I officially certify him as a Phillie with very good taste.
No. 32 – Jayson Werth – Right Above It by Lil Wayne ft. Drake
This list probably isn’t valid if I don’t include this song. It’s a favorite amongst Phillies fans. It’s alright. I just don’t see the fit between Jayson Werth and Lil Wayne.
No. 31 – Bryce Harper – Flower by Moby
Harper has used this song for the entiriety of his MLB career. He went on record to say that he plans on using this classic from Moby for the rest of his career.
If you hate this song, just know you’ll have to hear it for the next 12 years.
No. 30 – Scott Kingery – It’s a Vibe by 2 Chainz, Ty Dolla $ign, Trey Songz & Jhené Aiko
When I met Scott Kingery, I told him to never change his walk-up song and he laughed. As of spring training, this song is still in use.
It’s bold to use a song like this as a walk-up tune but it works well for him. Let’s just say it would be kind of strange if Aaron Harang used it.
No. 29 – Zach Eflin – Killer Queen by Queen
Zach Eflin is very passionate about music and it shows in his choice of warm-up music over the years. From Foreigner to Lynyrd Skynyrd to Pink Floyd, Eflin has all the classics covered. This one, in particular, makes my list because it’s my favorite Queen song.
No. 28 – Aaron Nola – I Am Second by Newsboys
Plenty of Christian players use their walk-up/warm-up song as a chance to spread the gospel and Aaron Nola is one of them. He’s had this song since he debuted with the Phillies in 2015 and I wouldn’t mind if he continued using it. The chorus is super catchy.
No. 27 – Nick Pivetta – Go F*** Yourself by Two Feet
It’s a great choice for anyone who plays professional baseball in Philadelphia. This is especially true for someone like Nick Pivetta, who rarely hides his emotions when he’s on the mound.
I can only imagine how awkward it was for Pivetta to go up to Phillies Music Director Mark Wyatt and ask for this song change.
No. 26 – Freddy Galvis – Pónmela en el Aire by Canserbero
There’s been plenty of great Spanish language walk-up songs and this is probably my favorite. It’s not the cleanest song in the whole world, judging from the little Spanish I do know but the beat is sick.
No. 25 Rául Ibañez – Mean Street by Van Halen
Rául Ibañez was an old-school ballplayer with old school taste. Many of his song choices were great but Van Halen is perhaps my favorite.
No. 24 – Rhys Hoskins – Slide by Calvin Harris, Frank Ocean & Migos
Some might get mad at the fact that this is ranked so low. It’s an excellent song but an overrated walk-up tune. I prefer when Rhys Hoskins pairs this with a couple of other walk-up songs like he did at the end of last season. Hearing the intro to “Slide” over and over again infuriated me.
No. 23 – Bryce Harper – The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
Seeing Harper walk up to the plate last year in Clearwater for the first time accompanied by this song made me smile. It would be nice if he broke out this tune again when Citizens Bank Park opens up again with fans.
No. 22 – Rhys Hoskins – Lemon by N.E.R.D, Rihanna & Pharrell Williams
This is his second-best walk-up tune and in my opinion, much better than “Slide.” He used Rihanna’s verse in “Lemon” for a few weeks at the beginning of the 2019 season and it sounded amazing. Like “Slide,” this song probably angered a lot of older music snobs in the crowd and I loved it.
No. 21 – Brad Miller – The Crossroads by Bone Thugs-N-Harmony
Bamboo Brad’s short tenure in Philadelphia was memorable and so was his walk-up music. It’s smooth and the lyrics are unexpectedly quite powerful. Kind of like Brad Miller himself.
Check back in the coming days for Part 2.
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