Royals have a new Hall of Famer: It’s their mascot, Sluggerrr

There’s finally another Royal in the Hall of Fame.

Well, the Mascot Hall of Fame, anyway.

After 22 seasons prowling the grounds at Kauffman Stadium, Royals mascot Sluggerrr received national recognition Monday when the Mascot Hall of Fame announced his induction as part of the Class of 2017. Benny the Bull (Chicago Bulls), Tommy Hawk (Chicago Blackhawks) and Nittany Lion (Penn State) were the other inductees.

According to the Royals, Sluggerrr was in part selected for his work in the Strike Out Bullying campaign.

Sluggerrr is the fourth MLB mascot in the Mascot Hall of Fame, which is located in Whiting, Ind. He joins Phillie Phanatic, Mr. Met and Slider of the Cleveland Indians.

Sluggerrr, who debuted for the Royals on April 5, 1996, took a playful jab at the Phanatic in September when he sat down with The Star for an interview.

“I call them the big, fat, dumb mascots,” said Brad Collins, who has performed as Sluggerrr since 2011. “I love those guys and they’re great performers. But if they were put in the Sluggerrr costume, it’s a completely different character.”

Read his full answer in the Q&A.

This story was originally published November 6, 2017 at 12:13 PM with the headline "Royals have a new Hall of Famer: It’s their mascot, Sluggerrr."