When Joe Mauer steps up to the plate for the first time this season Friday night against the Royals, it won't just mark the catcher's debut this season.

It will also mark the debut of Mauer's newest at-bat song, which was written by his friend and local recording artist Antonio Richardson, who goes by A&R for entertainment purposes.

At-bat music is something that many players take very seriously. But Mauer's song is unique in that it was written specifically for him.

What Richardson created was "The Joe Mauer Theme Song," which played every time Mauer came to bat last season. The song contained references to Mauer's career accomplishments, his trademark sideburns and other facts about the hometown catcher.

"I was just going to make a song that he could go up to at-bat to," Richardson said. "Once I got the music for it, it really took a life of its own. Once I heard the beat, the words just come out of the air for me and it grew into 'The Joe Mauer Theme Song.'"

Mauer won his second American League batting title last season, and while it wasn't necessarily the song that helped him do that, the catcher asked Richardson to create a new version for the 2009 season.

"The new one that I made, it was more the beat that Joe likes," Richardson said. "He likes a lot of hard-hitting, really musical driven beats. That's what I gravitated toward with this one. I made it a little more personal to him. This time I mention his mom and dad in it and a couple of his friends. It really becomes another adaption to what he likes."

Mauer isn't the only Twins player to have Richardson write an at-bat song for him. The hip-hop artist also created an at-bat song for Brendan Harris this year.