Ever since I heard Matt Carpenter of the St. Louis Cardinals walk out to Turnpike Troubadours at a game last year, I’ve been wondering who else in the league has the same, red dirt taste.
Now, this year without fans at games, you can much more clearly hear the players’ songs before each at bat, once again peaking my curiosity. That’s when I decided to see which team had the best country walk-up songs, the worst, and everything in between.
To do this I figured I should come up with some sort of scoring system, although it will ultimately be subjected to my personal opinion. That scoring system looks like this:
- 2 points for a real country/americana/red dirt song that I am impressed they know
- 1 point for a real country song that is good, but not surprising
- 0 points if the song is a different genre, or a country song that teeters on the line of good and bad
- -1 point if it is a pop country or a bro country song
- -2 points if it is a pop country or a bro country song that is over the top offensive to the genre
Now, with all of that being said, I also left some wiggle room on the spectrum for half points for anything in between the criteria. Although not all team ties could be broken, I also broke some ties based on the songs that got the team to their score. And of course, songs change pretty regularly so keep that in mind.
Let’s see how things shook out:
30. Philadelphia Phillies: -4 points
Bryce Harper may be an asset to the Phillies on the field, but he was an absolute liability for this contest. A bro country song followed by an outlandish pop country song really sunk the Phillies into the worst team on the list.
Bryce Harper: “Drunk on Your Love” Brett Eldredge ……. -1
“My Truck” BRELAND ft. Sam Hunt……… -2
Adam Morgan: “My Kinda Party” Jason Aldean …………..-1
29. Chicago Cubs: -2.5 points
Although the Cubs have a commanding lead in the NL Central so far this season, not having a single positive scoring country song on the roster landed them near the bottom of this scoring.
Kris Bryant: “The Git Up” Blanco Brown ….-1
Alec Mills: “Up Down” Morgan Wallen …….-1.5
28. Seattle Mariners: -2 points
Seattle played this game the same as most of their baseball games… As soon as they had a rally with Cody Jinks, they immediately gave the points right back with Thomas Rhett. You’d think the grunge music capital would have a little better taste.
Austin Nola: “They Don’t Know” Jason Aldean …………….-1
Cal Raleigh: “Hippies and Cowboys” Cody Jinks…………. +2
Kyle Seager: “Nothing Out Here” Hardy ft. Thomas Rhett.. -1
Daniel Vogelbach: “Ridin Roads” Dustin Lynch …………….-1
27. Colorado Rockies: -1 point
The Rockies were one of 3 teams scoring negative one. However, their song was less country than the other two, landing them in a meager 27th place.
Sam Hilliard: “God’s Country” Blake Shelton….. -1
26. Chicago White Sox: -1 point
The White Sox found themselves in the middle of a 3 way tie. As far as modern mainstream country songs go, “Burning Man” from Dierks Bently isn’t THAT bad. It falls on the wrong side of the fence, earning the negative point, but it also edges the White Sox over the Rockies in the tie breaker.
Adam Engel: “Burning Man” Dierks Bently …-1
25. Cincinnati Reds: -1 point
The Reds have some BAD songs in their line-up. However, they also at least had two true songs, making that two more true country songs than the White Sox and Rockies combined. That factor gave the Reds the edge in the three-way tie. Also, “Amos Moses” will always have a special place in my heart.
Tyler Stephenson: “May We All” FGL…………………………… -1
Wade Miley: “Amos Moses” Jerry Reed……………………….. +1
Joel Kuhnel: “Devil Calling Me Back” Tim McGraw/ Faith Hill .+1
Kyle Farmer: “God’s Country” Blake Shelton………………….. -1
Tucker Barnhart: “This Bar” Morgan Wallen……………………. -1
24. Oakland Athletics: -0.5 points
Respect to the A’s Eric Campell for walking out to Chief, but that HARDY song sends shivers down my spine. It’s for the best the stands are empty in Oakland this year.
Eric Campell: “Drink In My Hand” Eric Church… +1
J.B. Wendelken: “Rednecker” HARDY…………. -1.5
23. Arizona Diamondbacks: 0 points
Not much to say about the Diamondback’s lineup here. Two country legends mixed in with two songs from the start of the “bro” era of country music, landing the D-backs at a whopping zero.
Andrew Chafin: “That’s My Kind Of Night” Luke Bryan…. -1
Taylor Clarke: “My Kinda Party” Jason Aldean………….. -1
Robbie Ray: “Outsiders” Eric Church…………………. +1
Alex Young: “It Just Comes Natural” George Strait ….+1
T-21. Toronto Blue Jays: 0 points
I’d expect more from the land of Colter Wall, Corb Lund, Belle Plaine, and Blake Berglund… But then again Toronto is a different world from the plains. Not a single country style song on the roster since Justin Smoak got traded to Milwaukee, which actually saved Toronto a point since his walk-up song is Brantley Gilbert.
T-21. San Francisco Giants: 0 points
I can’t say I’m shocked here with San Francisco… Not a single country song on the roster.
20. Tampa Bay Rays: 0 points
If you’re wondering why Tampa Bay got placed ahead of the other teams that put up a goose egg.. That would be because they have the only player in the entire MLB that walks out to Jason Isbell. Respect.
Charlie Morton: “Palmetto Rose” Jason Isbell ….+2
Trevor Richards: “Good Vibes” Chris Janson ……-1
Cole Sulser: “The Outsiders” Eric Church ……….+1
Mike Zunino: “Life Changes” Thomas Rhett …….-2
19. Los Angeles Dodgers: 0.5
Luke Combs landing JUST on the good side of the spectrum with “Let The Moonshine” accompanied with some Steve Earle helped L.A. barely stay in the black.
Chris Taylor: “Copperhead Road” Steve Earle………….. +1
Corey Seager: “Let The Moonshine” Luke Combs……… +0.5
Justin Tuner: “Old Town Road” Lil Nas X ………………….-1
18. Texas Rangers: 1 point
We had a rather boring mid-pack clusterfuck at 1 point. The rangers ended up on the wrong end of things as they were the only team with a negative scoring song. A rather disappointing finish for Texas.
Kolby Allard: “God’s Gonna Cut You Down” Johnny Cash……. +1
Lance Lynn: “A Country Boy Can Survive” Hank Williams Jr…. +1
Jeff Mathis: “Not Like Us” Brantley Gilbert………………………. -1
T-14. Miami Marlins: 1 point
Miami finishes in a giant tie, but with a solid song choice from their pitcher.
Adam Conley: “Half Way Up” Clint Black…. +1
T-14. Los Angeles Angels: 1 point
Luke Bard sends the Angels into this four-way tie with an absolute banger from Chris Stapleton. Los Angeles can thank their pitcher for having the only country song on the roster.
Luke Bard: “Outlaw State of Mind” Chris Stapleton… +1
T-14. Houston Astros: 1 point
It’s the battle of the pitchers in this tie. Brad Peacock saves the Astros with a classic from Eric Church. Again, I expected far better from a Texas team. On the bright side, there was no cheating in this contest.
Brad Peacock: “Smoke a Little Smoke” Eric Church …+1
T-14. Cleveland Indians: 1 point
The Indian’s utility man comes through again with a Stapleton classic from the album Traveller. This finally brings an end to our biggest tie in the contest.
Mike Freeman: “Parachute” Chris Stapleton….+1
13. New York Yankees: 2 points
Seeing the Yankees behind the Mets isn’t something you’ll see all that often, and they have Chad Green and Ben Heller to thank for that. They walk out to two of the biggest “bros” in the industry, slapping the Yankees at the worst of the two’s. Big shoutout to Jonathan Holder with the Band of Heathens pick though.
Luis Avilan: “Ring of Fire” Johnny Cash ……………………+1
Chad Green: “Lost Souls Prayer” Brantley Gilbert ………..-1
Ben Heller: “The Only Way I Know” Jason Aldean……….. -1
Jonathan Holder: “Hurricane” Band of Heathens…………. +2
Tommy Kahnle: “Stick That in Your Country” Eric Church ..+1
12. New York Mets: 2 points
We have a pretty cut and dry story here with the Mets. They have two really solid country songs and not a single pop or bro country tune. This factor is what pushed them over their cross-town rivals.
Pete Alonso: “Welcome To The Show” Cody Johnson.. +1
Drew Smith: “Wave on Wave” Pat Green ……………….+1
11. Kansas City Royals: 2 points
It was a tough tie breaker between KC and the Mets. The edge the Royals had for me was exposing the fans to a smaller, lesser known band in Blackberry smoke. That, accompanied with no negative songs placed the Royals at a respectable 11 on the list.
Brady Singer: “Waiting for the Thunder” Blackberry Smoke …+2
10. Milwaukee Brewers: 2.5 points
With one of the longest lists of country songs in the MLB, the Brew Crew cracked the top ten. The only issue was their three negatively scored pop/bro country songs. Another factor that kept Milwaukee from finishing higher was no two pointers on the list. Still an impressive start to the top 10.
Ray Black: “Copperhead Road” Steve Earle ……………………+1
Corbin Burnes: “Friends In Low Places” Garth Brooks ………..+1
Davis Freitas: “Gone” Montgomery Gentry ……………………..+1
Brandon Woodruff: “What Makes You Country” Luke Bryan …..-1
Justin Smoak: “The Weekend” Brantley Gilbert………………… -1
David Phelps: “The Outsiders” Eric Church…………………… +1
Brock Holt: “Dance Her Home” Cody Johnson…………………. +1
Jedd Gyorko: “Country USA” Chris Janson ……………………..-1
Justin Grimm: “1,2 Many” Luke Combs ft. Brooks and Dunn ….+0.5
9. Detroit Tigers: 2.5 points
The Tigers finished with the same score as Milwaukee, but there were a couple of factors that put them higher on the list for me. First, was having Whiskey Myers in there as one of my favorite current bands. The second reason is only having two negatively scoring songs vs three for the Brewers.
Beau Burrows: “Turn It Up” Whiskey Myers…………….. +2
C.J. Cron: “Runnin’ Outta Moonlight” Randy Houser …..+1
“Chillin’ It” Cole Swindell ……………………..-1.5
Michael Fulmer: “God’s Country” Blake Shelton……….. -1
Daniel Norris: “Man in Black” Johnny Cash ……………..+1
Jake Rogers: “Rodeo” Garth Brooks ……………………..+1
8. Washington Nationals: 3 points
A little bit of chaos from slots 6-8, but the Nationals came up on the losing end. Why? A blemish from HARDY and Morgan Wallen. Not that all of Morgan Wallens songs would score negatively, but this one definitely has to.
Will Harris: “The Man Comes Around” Johnny Cash ….+1
Tanner Rainey: “Hurricane” The Band of Heathens ……+2
Andrew Stevenson: “Amarillo Sky” Jason Aldean …….+1
Nick Wells: “Turn You Down” HARDY/ Morgan Wallen. -1
T-6: Pittsburgh Pirates: 3 points
It was damn near impossible to break the tie between the Pirates and the Orioles… So I didn’t. Cody Jinks and Johnny Cash is a helluva lineup and there aren’t any blemishes to go with. This earns the Pirates a respectable 6th place finish.
Bryan Reynolds: “God’s Gonna Cut You Down” Johnny Cash… +1
JT Riddle: “Loud and Heavy” Cody Jinks …………………………+2
T-6: Baltimore Orioles: 3 points
Rounding out the last tie in the competition is Baltimore. Literally one of the same exact songs as Pittsburgh, with another respectable tune from Riley Green. No choice but to round this one off as a tie.
Travis Latkins: “Man Like Me” Riley Green …+1
Chris Sisco: “Loud and Heavy” Cody Jinks …+2
5. Boston Red Sox: 3.5 points
We don’t see a lot of Gary Clark Jr. out there, which is exactly what propelled the Red Sox to a top 5 slot. The only negative in Boston comes from the hands of their pitcher, Matt Hall. Hall walks out to the single most common country song in the MLB, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t still count as a negative.
Colten Brewer: “Hard Livin’” Chris Stapleton ……………………….+1
Nathan Eovaldi: “Come Together” Gary Clark Jr. ………………….+2
Matt Hall: God’s Country” Blake Shelton……………………………. -1
Mitch Moreland: “Stick That In Your Country Song” Eric Church… +1
Marcus Walden: “She Got The Best Of Me” Luke Combs……….. +0.5
4. Minnesota Twins: 3.5 points
Quite a respectable showing from my neighbors up north. Two things that stand out about the Twins list is the Tennessee Jet cover of the classic “Waymore’s Blues” and that they don’t have a blemish. If you haven’t yet, be sure to check out that face melting version of Waylon’s famous tune.
Homer Bailey: “Waymore’s Blues” Tennessee Jet …+2
Ryan Jeffers: “Lucky” Cody Johnson………………. +1
Jake Ordorizzi: “Beer Never Broke My Heart” ……..+0.5
3. San Diego Padres: 4 points
Simple, but rock solid and to the point. San Diego was certainly one I did not expect to finish so high, but Turnpike and Cody Jinks makes for one helluva duo! The Padres are a red hot baseball squad right now and their line-up also has two red hot bangers in it as well.
Trent Grisham: “Long Hot Summer Days” Turnpike Troubadours…+2
Chris Paddack: “Loud and Heavy” Cody Jinks…………………….. +2
2. Atlanta Braves: 6 points
A clean roster from the Braves leaves them in the number two slot of the poll. Three of my favorite songs on the list without a single pop or bro country song in the lineup. I’m genuinely impressed with Atlanta here, but they were still no competition for the number 1 team on the list.
Matt Adams: “Bright Lights” Gary Clark Jr. ……………+2
Chris Martin: “Loud and Heavy” Cody Jinks …………..+2
Josh Tomlin: “Keep the Wolves Away” Uncle Lucius …+2
1. St. Louis Cardinals: 11.5 points
GOOD HEAVENS! Did you know a single team has THREE DIFFERENT PLAYERS that walk out to Whiskey Myers? That is incredible! They even hit Colter Wall, Koe fucking Wetzel, and the classics of Johnny and Merle. This has got to rival one of the best all time country music lineups in baseball history. It’s a damn shame the Cardinals missed a chunk of their games to COVID and fans can’t be in the stands for games because this is simply amazing. I would be making a road trip down south in a heartbeat if I could get into the stadium.
The Cardinals are “officially” the best country music team in the MLB.
Matt Carpenter: “Hammer” Whiskey Myers …………………………….+2
“Fuss & Fight” Koe Wetzel ……………………………+1.5
Miles Mikolas: “The Fighting Side of Me” Merle Haggard …………….+1
Andrew Miller: “God’s Gonna Cut You Down” Johnny Cash…………. +1
John Nogowski: “Million Miles” Kody West ………………………………+1
Zack Thompson: “Sleeping on the Blacktop” Cotler Wall ………………+2
Adam Wainwright “God’s Country” Blake Shelton ……………………….-1
Kodi Whitley: “Bar Guitar and a Honky Tonk Crowd” Whiskey Myers …+2
Jake Woodford: “Glitter Ain’t Gold” Whiskey Myers……………………..+2
