Inside the Astros

Houston Astros' Orbit Lands Wholesome Ranking Among MLB Mascots

The Houston Astros' Orbit was recently named to the Mascot Hall of Fame and is now viewed among the least initimidating in MLB.

Dylan Sanders

Oct 29, 2022; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros mascot, Orbit, looks on before game two of the 2022 World Series against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park.
Oct 29, 2022; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros mascot, Orbit, looks on before game two of the 2022 World Series against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. / Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
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Capturing the hearts of Houston Astros fans since being brought back during the rebrand, Orbit has grown a reputation as one of MLB's nicest mascots.

A survey done by casino.ca asked 2,000 baseball fans what they thought about mascots. The questions asked about popularity, what mascots bring to the game experience, whether they find them scary and more.

A big part of the study was focused on which mascots were the most and least intimidating among the league.

Orbit landed a wholesome ranked as the second-least intimidating mascot in MLB. It's hard to look at the green anthropomorphic alien and disagree. The only character ranked below it was Slider from the Cleveland Guardians.

Alien and monster mascots are a very common thing in MLB. They seem to fit either into the camp of being scary or cute. The iconic Phillie Phanatic of the Philadelphia Phillies was named the scariest in the league. Blooper from the Atlanta Braves was also in the top 10.

The Astros' jolly alien was recently awarded one of the top honors available to it, being a part of the most recent Mascot Hall of Fame Class.

"[Houston's] lovable alien mascot, has brought joy and excitement to Minute Maid Park since his arrival in 2012," said With his quirky personality, vibrant green fur, and boundless energy, Orbit has quickly become a fan favorite. He is known for his hilarious interactions with players and fans, making every game a memorable experience."

One of the most iconic moments from the mascot's history was the dance-off it had with a security guard in a clip that has garnered over 100 million views on YouTube.

Less favorable to Orbit was its ranking among the most popular mascots in MLB. It finished tied for the No. 13 spot with Rangers Captain from the rival Texas Rangers and Dinger of the Colorado Rockies.

Things looked even worse when put up against the rest of the sports world as it dropped all the way down to the No. 45 spot, just above the top half of all sports.

The overall conclusion from the study was that fans enjoy mascots and what they bring to the game day experience, highlighted by the previous clip of the dance-off.

An absurd 90% of those that responded to the questions were in favor of mascots. Most said that it was because of the entertainment that they surprise.

Even if Orbit isn't one of the most popular mascots in all of sports, fans of the Astros will continue to enjoy is happy nature.

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Dylan Sanders

DYLAN SANDERS

Dylan Sanders graduated from Louisiana State University with a degree from the Manship School of Mass Communication in 2023. He was born in raised in Baton Rouge, LA but has also lived in Buffalo, NY. Though he is a recent graduate, he has been writing about sports since he was in high school, covering different sports from baseball to football. While in college, he wrote for the school paper The Reveille and for 247Sports. He was able cover championships in football, baseball and women's basketball during his time at LSU. He has also spent a few years covering the NFL draft and every day activities of the New Orleans Saints. He is a Senior Writer at Inside the Marlins and will also be found across Sports Illustrated's baseball sites as a contributing writer. You can follow him on Twitter or Instagram @dillysanders

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