Grading the Mariners Walk-Up Songs

C. Personally, I am not a huge country music guy, but this song does have a few redeeming qualities. It touches on all the typical “country” stereotypes; pickup trucks, beer, pretty ladies and beer again. It has a party feel to it, but I do not think it will be a big hit with the Mariners’ fan base. Zunino has stayed close to his southern roots, but this song ranks low on the list of M’s walkup tunes.. C. Seattle Mariners. MIKE ZUNINO

D. I must admit that I have never heard of Mr. Mineo, but when I listened to him, he gave off a distinct white rapper feel. I have nothing against white rappers like Eminem and Macklemore, but Andy Mineo grated on my nerves. I can appreciate the concept that LoMo cannot be stopped, but this song is a bust.. 1B. Seattle Mariners. LOGAN MORRISON

B. Robinson Cano went with one of the most prominent young rappers in the game for his first track. Cano selected “Blessings (feat. Drake)” by Big Sean. There is no denying that this song ranks high on the swag factor, but it does not score highly in the fun department. I like this song, I think it works pretty well as a walkup song, but I am not going to put it in the great category.. 2B. Seattle Mariners. ROBINSON CANO

2B. Seattle Mariners. ROBINSON CANO. C-. Robby’s next choice is a rap song by El Alfa entitled “El Baile del Dinero.” I do not pretend to know how to speak Spanish, but my hunch is that this song is basically about money and lady hind parts. This song has a party feel, but the MC has a voice I find off putting. Also, my guess is that not very many Mariners’ fans are huge El Alfa fans. In my opinion, this song choice was a rare error from the M’s star second baseman.

KYLE SEAGER. C. I have nothing against this tune, but I feel it is too slow to whip up a crowd. Seattle is not a country music hotspot to begin with, and this romantic track is not likely to change that. My guess is that Seags is never going to have a great walkup song, but a faster paced song would be a better choice next season. Again, just like Zunino and Cano, it is nice that he has picked a song close to his roots, but it pales in comparison to some of the songs on this list.. 3B. Seattle Mariners

Seattle Mariners. BRAD MILLER. A. Now this is a walkup song. It is well known, it gets the crown excited, and the song has a distinct personality. This 1987 hit is beloved by music fans of all ages, and is considered a classic in the genre. The message of the song also appears to fit the Mariners’ shortstop well. Miller struggled last season in his first full season with the M’s, but he won’t rest until he gets where he wants to be.. SS

LF. Seattle Mariners. DUSTIN ACKLEY. A-. The Ack-Attack’s first choice is CCR’s 1969 hit “Bad Moon Rising.” Rolling Stone Magazine ranked the song #364 in their list of the 500 greatest songs of all time. I would say this has to be considered one of the better selections in walkup music on the Mariners. It is catchy, well known and gives Safeco energy.

DUSTIN ACKLEY. A. The Mariners’ left fielder’s infatuation with CCR led him to choose the 1969 classic song, “Fortunate Son” as his alternate walkup song. Rolling Stone ranked “Fortunate Son” as the 99th best song in music history back in 2011, and it ranks much higher than that on the list of Mariners’ walkup songs. Ackley has some sound taste in music, and this song has to be in the top of 5 right now on the M’s. It infuses the crowd with an underdog mentality, and it is one of those songs that sounds like summer.. LF. Seattle Mariners

C. I feel much the same way about this song as Cano’s selection of “Blessings.” It is a solid hip-hop song with a good rapper, but it is sorely missing the fun factor. The song has a nice bounce to it, and it has a thick stench of swag. Overall, it is a middle of the pack tune on this club.. CF. Seattle Mariners. AUSTIN JACKSON

Seattle Mariners. SETH SMITH. D. I personally am not a big fan of players using gospel tracks as their walkup music, especially songs about how God has “captured” us. Seems like a creepy way to look at the whole thing to me. However, the song seems to be working for the M’s right fielder, as he went 3 for 3 with 2 RBI’s in his lone game this season.. RF

A-. Many of the Mariners’ have attempted to pick a song that gives fans a sense of where they grew up. No one has done this better than Nelson Cruz. He is from the Dominican, and he chose a song with the infectious Latin beat that we all love. Fans may not be familiar with the specific song, but it is hard not to get your groove on when you hear the rhythm. Cruz’s choice is full of fun, and thus he receives high marks.. DH. Seattle Mariners. NELSON CRUZ

A. Willie has been a fan favorite since his arrival to Seattle in 2002, and he has always been good at selecting walkup music. This season he is going with a pair of Guns N’ Roses hits, in “Sweet Child of Mine” and “Paradise City.” Both of these selections are amongst the best on the team, and score highly in my books.. UT. Seattle Mariners. WILLIE BLOOMQUIST

A. Backup catchers have a reputation of being some of the shrewdest selectors of walkup music, and <strong><a href=. C. Seattle Mariners. JESUS SUCRE

OF. Seattle Mariners. JUSTIN RUGGIANO. A. Austin, TX has developed a reputation for a being a very cool city, and <strong><a href=

FELIX HERNANDEZ. B+. Not many people would peg Felix Hernandez as a metal head, but he selected “All Hail The King” by Avenged Sevenfold as his first Walkup song. This song has a presence and fits the King perfectly. It is powerful, and loud – just like Felix. Overall, this is a pretty strong choice.. SP. Seattle Mariners

A. This has to be one of the most apt song choices on the club. King Felix is undoubtedly the man, and his decision to blast “The Man” by Aloe Bloc is a very sound one. Felix has been phenomenal over the past decade, and Seattle is his city. This is one of the top walkup tracks on the Mariners right now.. SP. Seattle Mariners. FELIX HERNANDEZ

A. King Felix has selected “Down With The King” by RUN-DMC for his final walkup tune. This is another quality choice by the Mariners’ ace. Who doesn’t want to be down with the King? Hernandez has proven himself to be one of the best in the business at picking walkup songs. This song is thematic, fun and catchy – that’s a winner!. SP. Seattle Mariners. FELIX HERNANDEZ

HISASHI IWAKUMA. A-. This is yet another example of a player understanding how to select a great walkup track. Pitbull is so catchy, that even a Japanese man who cannot speak English cannot help but bob his head. This song is fun, well-known and enthusiastic. Nice job Hisashi (and your interpreter!). SP. Seattle Mariners

J.A. HAPP. B. This is a pretty solid choice by Happ. I prefer my pitchers to enter to rock songs; it shows they have an edge to them. While this song may lack some fun, it is clear in stating that J.A. Happ wants it now.. SP. Seattle Mariners

FERNANDO RODNEY. A. The M’s flamboyant closer is a fan favorite, and rightfully so. He is an archery enthusiast, and apparently an EDM hound. Rodney’s selection of “Animals” by Martin Garrix is a perfect match. Rodney is a character, and the fact that he would pick an EDM song for his entrance music is the perfect amount of random. This song may not have many words, but it is strangely catchy. I think it is fun, and thus I have awarded it with a high mark.. CP. Seattle Mariners

A. Danny Farquhar had a breakthrough campaign for the Mariners’ in 2014, and don’t overlook the importance of his stellar entrance song. The hard throwing right-hander walks out to Rudimental’s hit track “Feel the Love.” This is a very underrated song that has not received much air-time in North America, but good on Danny for hunting it down. This song is infectious, and is undeniably catchy. Lord Farquhar must have been a successful radio DJ in a past life.. RP. Seattle Mariners. DANNY FARQUHAR

The song is a classic, and Medina’s grade is the highest on the M’s. Sometimes when I cannot sleep on cold winter nights, I pretend I am sitting in the Mariners’ bullpen to bear witness to the conversation that allowed this miracle to happen. I imagine that “Funky Cold Medina” did not get much play in Medina’s homeland, so someone must have suggested he use this track along the way. I would personally like to thank that man, whoever you are.. RP. Seattle Mariners. YOERVIS MEDINA. A+