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It's that time of year in early October, which means that MLB's Postseason has officially begun! Teams are vying for prime real estate this year in their journey to the ultimate goal: the perennial Fall Classic otherwise known as the World Series. And with that, I present my annual musical review of the players competing in this year's playoffs to get a better sense of their musical tastes, and how it translates on the field and represents the player's wacky and offbeat personalities that will serve them well to carry their team to victory. And without further ado, here is a look at this year's player musical selections:
Jacob DeGrom (New York Mets) Lynyrd Skynyrd - Simple Man
The ace of the New York Mets has chosen some Southern flavored rock with this wise musical selection from Lynyrd Skynyrd. The Florida native with the finely cropped and beautiful hock of hair has had an incredible year with the Mets, guiding the team to its first NL East title in 9 years, captivating longtime fans who have stuck with the team faithfully even during the dark years. DeGrom has an insane fastball that will make opposing batters look borderline foolosh, and a dazzling array of offspeed pitches that make this guy an intimidating presence on the mound, and a force to be reckoned with.
Michael Wacha (St. Louis Cardinals) Wacka Flocka Flame - No Hands
One of the young aces of the Cardinals pitching staff has chosen this hot headed hip-hop number from Wacka Flocka Flame as his entrance music. The Cardinals are no stranger to the postseason as they been to the playoffs for the last 5 consecutive seasons, going deep in the hunt each and every time. Wacha has been a stellar addition to the Cards pitching rotation, displaying an array of diverse pitches that makes batters guess each and every time, and can be almost borderline unstoppable when going deep into ballgames.
Joc Pederson (Los Angeles Dodgers) R. Kelly - I'm A Flirt
The young center fielder for the Dodgers has this appropriately named R. Kelly number as his walk up song. Joc has been a hot ticket ever since first arriving in LA, making spectacular catches in the outfield, and sporting an offbeat and colorful personality while up at the plate. He also has a penchant for wearing his uniform with no undershirt underneath, exposing some chest that definitely impresses the ladies, and allows him to let his man out each and every time when up at the plate. A young and impressive star with a bright future ahead of him.
Chris Coghlan (Chicago Cubs) Linkin Park - Burn It Down
The Cubs are back in the playoffs this year after an 8 year absence, and are finally ready to make some noise down the stretch, aided by their strong left fielder Chris Coghlan and this scorching Linkin Park number as his walk up music. Coghlan has been in the big leagues for some time now, most recently playing for the Miami Marlins to name a few. He sports remarkable range in the outfield, being able to track down fly balls that are within his range. He also possesses a great offensive understanding at the plate that allows him to track down those balls over the plate that he can do something with. And, just like Joc, he loves to rock the exposed chest at the plate that other members of the team have rocked also, showing the team's unity and laid back, carefree attitude.
Josh Donaldson (Toronto Blue Jays) Phil Collins - In The Air Tonight
Josh Donaldson has been a tremendous addition to the Jays lineup ever since arriving in the offseason via free agency. He also sports one of the best walk up songs of all time with this classic Phil Collins number. If you'd seen some of the Blue Jays games this year, Josh is a virtual highlight reel waiting to happen with Josh hitting home runs left and right, spraying them all throughout the ballpark, and also makes some fantastic catches when needed that have come up big time clutch for his team when they needed them the most. Donaldson is definitely a force to be reckoned with come this postseason.
Eric Hosmer ( Kansas City Royals) Tech Nine - Hood Go Crazy
The hot, studly first baseman for the Kansas City Royals has become a fan favorite these last few years, and fans definitely go crazy when this song choice for him plays on the speakers over at Kaufmann Stadium. Hos has been a tremendous presence while at the plate, sporting a relentless offensive mindset that allows him to foul off pitch over pitch, until he finds a ball that he can do something with. He is also a great clubhouse leader, allowing his teammates to feel loose and relaxed while keeping their head in the game at all times. A definite role model for how the game of baseball should be played.
Dallas Keuchel (Houston Astros) Rock Mafia - I Am
Rounding out our list is the handsomely bearded ace of the Houston Astros staff with this musical nugget as his entrance music. The Astros are the surprise, cinderella team this year that no one even expected to make the big dance this year, but they are proving a lot of naysayers wrong with their constant clutch, walk off wins becoming the stuff of legend. Dallas has been a revelation for the team this year, winning 20 games and sporting a devastating aresenal of pitches that keeps batters from causing any sort of trouble at the plate, while ensuring his team is well on the path to victory. It all has to do with the power of the beard!