MLB pitchers are fearless. They’ve been throwing baseballs since they were five, sometimes younger. These pitchers have made their competition look foolish from tee-ball to the big leagues. However, there are a select few hitters who can make even the best of the best second-guess everything. When the pitcher is completely in his zone, the batters’ walk-up songs will help them know who’s coming up before they make their pitch. The walk-up song of the 2026 American League All-Stars can cause even the best pitchers to lose focus.
Catcher – Shea Langeliers – Sacramento Athletics (A’s)
Since making his MLB debut in 2022, Langeliers has steadily improved. This year has been his breakout season with 20 home runs and 44 RBIs through 80 games.
Langeliers walks up to “Ride Wit Me” by Nelly. Although he hasn’t given a specific reason for picking this song—upbeat and recognizable hip-hop tracks are very popular choices for walk-up songs. Not to mention the fact that Langeliers attended Baylor University in Waco, Texas—where I’m sure he was exposed to various country and Southern rap artists like Nelly.
“Ride Wit Me” comes from Nelly’s debut album in 2002, “Country Grammar.” “Country Grammar” debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard album charts, and “Ride Wit Me” also peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Langeliers was born in 1997. This means he was just five years old when Nelly was breaking into the mainstream rap charts. Nelly’s music was likely playing nonstop during Langeliers’ formative years.
Nelly’s unique rap sound has allowed his music to stand the test of time. The 2002 track has become the anthem for the A’s All-Star catcher.
First Base – Vladimir Guerrero Jr. – Toronto Blue Jays
Despite Guerrero Jr. having a down offensive season with an OPS+ of just 92, he won the fan vote to become the starting first baseman for the American League.
Guerrero Jr. recently changed his walk-up song. For most of his career, he’s walked up to “Superstar” by Lupe Fiasco ft. Matthew Santos. However, he recently changed his walk-up song to “Janice STFU” by Drake after he released his new album “Iceman”.
Representing the team from the great white north, it makes a lot of sense for Guerrero Jr. to walk up to this song. Along with Guerrero’s Canadian roots, his walking out to the tunes of one of Canada’s biggest musicians feels like a full-circle moment for Toronto Blue Jays fans.
“Janice STFU” stayed No. 1 on the Billboard charts for two weeks, the first time a Drake track has done this since “In My Feelings” in 2018.
Unfortunately for Guerrero Jr., this switch in walk-up song has coincided with a massive cold streak. Since switching his song on May 23, he has hit just .237 with one home run. Although correlation doesn’t equal causation, baseball players are notoriously superstitious.
Second Base – Ernie Clement – Toronto Blue Jays
Ernie Clement is the second All-Star starter for the 2025 American League champions. He was the lead vote-getter for the American League. Clement is second in the American League in hits with 98.
Clement, unlike a lot of his peers, walks up to an older song, “I Was Made for Lovin You” by KISS. Although there isn’t any deep meaning to his song, it’s still a good showcase of who he is off the field.
“I think it’s just a great song and gets the people going and rocking. I’m a little bit of a rock ‘n’ roll fan, so I just figured that I’d kind of get the vibes going,” Clement told Exclaim!
Although he hasn’t mentioned this himself, many have pointed out how this song also reflects his fan-favorite status in Toronto.
Shortstop – Bobby Witt Jr. – Kansas City Royals
Witt Jr. got off to a cold start, but has recovered nicely to lead the American League in WAR with 4.8. This bounce-back has allowed Witt Jr. to make his third-straight All-Star appearance.
Witt Jr., like Guerrero Jr, changed his walk-up song during the season. Witt Jr. frequently changes his walk-up song. In 2024, he walked up to “Dream on” by Aerosmith. In 2025, he changed it to “Change me” by BigXThaPlug. However, in early May, he settled on “The Less I Know, The Better” by Tame Impala.
Toronto Sports Network noted that many players like to change their walk-up songs frequently to refresh their energy or change their fortunes. One of the most notable examples is when Nationals outfielder Gerardo Parra changed his walk-up song to “Baby Shark” in 2019 to boost the team’s fortunes, and it became a bit of a rallying cry during their World Series run.
Since changing his song on May 5, Witt Jr. has batted .301.
Third Baseman – Junior Caminero – Tampa Bay Rays
Junior Caminero rose to stardom in 2025 to make his first All-Star appearance.
Caminero is one of over 100 MLB players born in the Dominican Republic. It makes sense why his walk-up song is “L a k e n o s h i” by his fellow Latin American Omar Courtz.
Both Caminero and Courtz have seen their stardom grow in recent years. Courtz had the biggest hit of his career with “Koko”. The song was in the top 30 on the Latin American charts. His 2026 album “Por Si Manana No Estoy” debuted at 22 on the Billboard charts. Meanwhile, Caminero was voted onto the All-Star team as the starting third baseman.
Although Caminero hasn’t explained why he chose this track, former Venezuelan outfielder David Peralta said many Latin American players prefer high-energy tracks to represent their cultures.
Designated Hitter – Yordan Álvarez – Houston Astros
Álvarez has consistently been in the argument for the best left-handed hitter in the world since his debut in 2019. His fourth All-Star appearance feels more like a given than anything.
Álvarez is from Cuba. His walk-up song is “Demasaido” by his fellow Cubans, Gente de Zona. Fans have described this music as uplifting, a common theme among walk-up songs chosen by Latin American players.
Despite the Astros’ decline from World Series favorites to a fringe playoff team over the past couple of seasons, Álvarez has continued to provide elite offensive production for the Astros.
Left Fielder – Mike Trout – Los Angeles Angels
Trout was the face of baseball during the 2010s. Despite the Angels’ lack of success, he always put up MVP-level performances.
Trout has gone through a lot of walk-up songs in his 16-season career. Currently, he walks up to “Super Gremlin” by Kodak Black.
His first consistent walk-up song was “Started from the Bottom” by Drake. However, in 2013, he changed his walk-up song to the Barney theme song to try and lighten up the mood in the clubhouse.
“I just fell out laughing,” said Torii Hunter, Trout’s former teammate. “He was the baby of the team.”
A baby no more, the 34-year-old outfielder was having his best season since 2022 with a 145 OPS+ before ending up on the injured list with a strained right hamstring.
Center Fielder – Byron Buxton – Minnesota Twins
Despite trade rumors, Buxton has made it clear he wants to stay with the Twins. He has given them yet another All-Star-level season.
Buxton has two walk-up songs. The first is “All Around the World” by Lisa Stansfield, and the other is “Jamming” by Bob Marley & The Wailers.
Earlier in his career, he walked up to “Return of the Mack’ by Mack Morrison. Unfortunately, the early part of his career was defined by repeated injuries. In 2025, he changed his walk-up song to “Jamming,” which led to him playing 126 games, the second most of his career. Although he kept this song for 2026, he also added “All Around the World” to shake things up.
Unfortunately, it seems like Buxton’s injury luck has finally run out. He was placed on the injured list for a right hip strain. The hip was giving him minor problems throughout June, but he aggravated the injury in July against the Yankees.
Right Fielder – Aaron Judge – New York Yankees
The three-time MVP is currently on the injured list, but he still got voted into his eighth All-Star game.
Judge’s most well-known walk-up song is “Hello” by Pop Smoke ft. A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie. However, in 2026, he’s shown a willingness to occasionally change the song up. On opening day, he changed his song to “Swag Surfin” by F.L.Y. In May, he switched to a rotation of “Janice STFU” and “Whisper my Name” after Drake released “Iceman.” Earlier in the month, Judge briefly changed his walk-up song to “Choosin’ Texas” by Ella Langley, to model after his teammate Trent Grisham.
Grisham is one of many players whose fortunes changed with a new walk-up song. Since changing his song to the rising country star’s biggest hit, he has a .277 batting average. Unfortunately, the judge didn’t see the same boost after switching to the Drake songs, but that was due to him battling an injury that eventually put him on the I.L.
“This is by far the toughest decision any baseball player has to make in the offseason,” Judge said. “I’m telling you, I make a whole playlist. I have about 30-40 songs. I’m in my car. My wife gets mad at me.”
Despite the willingness to switch up, he has gone back to “Hello” after each switch-up. The line “King of New York, Melo” is loved by Yankee fans. The Yankees look to get Judge back in early August as they try to secure a playoff spot.
More Than Just Walk-Up Music
Overall, it’s pretty clear that walk-up songs mean a lot to the players. It allows them to nod to their cities, hometowns, and personalities. Just like with many things in baseball, they’re also a cause for superstition. Players like Bobby Witt Jr. changed their walk-up song to help get them out of a cold streak.
Many of these songs, like “Hello” and “Janice STFU,” are good hype songs that can help aspiring athletes get into the zone during practice. However, your playlist should ultimately showcase who you are as a person. You don’t need to be a big leaguer to let the music you listen to tell your story.
