Even though the Coronavirus pandemic is in full swing in the United States, the 2020 Major League Baseball season is back in session. The abbreviated MLB season is without a live audience, but what remains is the music that usually accompanies the players at bat. Bad Bunny, El Alfa, Anuel AA, and Daddy Yankee are the most-played Latinx artists on the players’ walk-up music playlists.
The 2020 Major League Baseball season was scheduled to begin on March 26, but that was later postponed due to COVID-19 (or Coronavirus). With the rescheduled Opening Day last Friday, the players on teams like the Angels, the Yankees, the Braves, and the Nationals also shared their walk-up playlists. MLB’s Las Mayores revealed Puerto Rican reggaetonero Bad Bunny as a hit on 21 players’ lists.
For baseball being seen as “America’s Pastime,” there are a lot of Latinx players going to bat. The Atlanta Braves’ Johan Camargo, from Panama City, had Bad Bunny listed four times on his playlist with “Bendiciones,” “25/8,” “Yo Perreo Sola,” and Lunay’s “Soltera” remix. Coming up second among Latinx artists was Dominican dembow star El Alfa on 11 players’ lists. The Washington Nationals’ Víctor Robles, from the Dominican Republic, included El Alfa’s “Jalapeño” on his playlist. Another Dominican player on the New York Yankees team, Miguel Andújar, walks up with El Alfa’s “A Correr Los Lakers” remix bumping.
Anuel AA, Bad Bunny’s friendly Puerto Rican rival, came in third place on seven players’ walk-up playlists. Among his fans is Los Angeles Angels player Félix Peña, from the Dominican Republic, who included “Na’ Nuevo” on his list. Puerto Rican icon Daddy Yankee pulls up the rear in fourth place on six players’ playlist. Along with being on Camargo’s playlist as part of the “Soltera” remix, D.Y. is on the playlist for Dominican player Juan Soto from the Washington Nationals with the all-star “China” collaboration that includes Anuel.
Colombian reggaetonera Karol G is part of that “China” line-up as well. Maybe on future walk-up playlists, the players can include more women of reggaetón like Karol, Dominican star Natti Natasha, or Mexican-American singer Becky G. Corridos tumbados like rising Mexican act Natanael Cano’s music could also be cool to hear at the mound in the future.
