The Major League Baseball season in more than a week old, but there’s still plenty of mystery surrounding the new year.

For example, how will the world react Thursday night when Mike Trout walks up to the plate at Angel Stadium for the first time this season with a $430-million contract in his back pocket and Travis Scott’s “Sicko Mode” reverberating throughout the ballpark?

Making a walk-up song decision is an annual rite of spring for professional baseball players, and it’s something many take seriously. The right song can put a player in the right mood to slap out that run-scoring double or game-clinching home run. Get the song wrong and who knows how adversely it could affect a player’s batting average or VORP.

Players don’t need to break out the sabermetrics to figure out if their walk-up song is a hit with rivals or fans.


“I think if guys on the other team tell you like, ‘Hey, pretty sick walk-out, man,’ then that’s the real telling,” said Angels first baseman Justin Bour, who will be walking out to “Big Poppa” by the Notorious B.I.G. “But also, if you have a bunch of kids doing the floss dance in the stands, it’s a good one as well.”

Perhaps a good walk-up song is what Angels players need to put more crack into their bats. After going 1-5 over the first week, the team needs to dig deep into the playlist to find some extra offense ahead of their home opener against the Texas Rangers.

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austin.knoblauch@latimes.com


Twitter: @AustinKnobby