With only a week left in the 2024 Major League Baseball season, the Chicago White Sox find themselves on the brink of making history—for all the wrong reasons. At 36-120, they have tied the infamous 1962 New York Mets for the most losses in a modern MLB season, and with six games remaining, they are on the cusp of setting a new record for baseball futility.
The White Sox’s offensive struggles this year have been stark. As a team, they are hitting an anemic .220/.278/.339, far below the league-average slash line of .244/.312/.400. This poor performance at the plate is encapsulated in their 76 OPS+, indicating they are 24% worse than the league average in getting on base and hitting for power. The team ranks dead last in home runs, having managed just 127 this season, and not a single player has reached the 20-home run mark.
Shockingly, the offensive woes don’t end there. The White Sox are averaging just 3.07 runs per game, the lowest in the league. By comparison, the next lowest team, the Tampa Bay Rays, average 3.78 runs per game. The White Sox have been outscored 799-479, giving them a staggering -320 run differential. Andrew Vaughn has been a rare bright spot, leading the team in both RBIs and runs with 67 and 54, respectively, though he ranks just 103rd out of 130 qualifying players in OPS for the batting title.
Defensive Troubles
The White Sox’s defensive performance has been equally disappointing. They hold the worst mark in the league with -83 total zone runs. For perspective, the team ranked 29th in this metric, the Miami Marlins, have -53 total zone runs. The top defensive teams this season, the Milwaukee Brewers and Seattle Mariners, each have 46 total zone runs.
Adding to their woes, the White Sox have been the worst-performing team according to FanGraphs' version of WAR, posting a dismal -6.8. They are the only team with a negative figure this season. By contrast, the Colorado Rockies, who rank just above them, have a positive 4.1 WAR.
Road and Home Struggles
The White Sox's troubles are not confined to their home field. Their 16-62 road record is the worst in the league, with the Rockies having the next fewest road wins at 24. At home, the White Sox are 20-58, also the worst record in the league, with the Marlins coming next with 30-51. It's worth noting that before this season, the White Sox had never lost more than 55 road games or 53 home games in a single season.
Lengthy Slumps
The 2024 season has been punctuated by three lengthy slumps—21, 14, and 12 straight losses each. They have also endured additional losing streaks of seven, six, and two stints of five games, one of which is still active. Before this season, the White Sox had experienced such prolonged losing streaks of 12 games or more only three times in their history, in 1924, 1927, and 1967.
Since the All-Star break, the White Sox are 9-49. No team has ever won fewer than 15 games in a full second half, a dubious record held by the Athletics, who went 15-61 in both 1915 and 1943. The White Sox's best months this season were May and June, each with a 9-19 record, while their worst month was July, going 3-22.
Rays of Hope
Despite the overwhelming gloom, there have been small rays of hope. The White Sox managed winning records against five teams: the Braves (2-1), Rockies (2-1), Cardinals (2-1), Rays (4-2), and Nationals (2-1). However, against the rest of the AL Central, they are a dismal 12-41.
Erick Fedde, a rare individual standout, led the team in WAR but has not pitched since July 27, underlining the struggles and challenges that the White Sox have faced this season. The 2024 season has undoubtedly been the worst in Major League Baseball history for the Chicago White Sox, a year fans and players alike will be keen to put behind them.