With the 2024 Major League Baseball season drawing to a close, the Chicago White Sox stand on the precipice of infamy. Their record, at 36-120, ties them with the 1962 New York Mets for most losses in a modern season. With six games left, they are poised to surpass that dubious milestone.
The White Sox's dismal performance is reflected in their offensive and defensive statistics. As a team, they are hitting a paltry .220/.278/.339, significantly below the league-average slash line of .244/.312/.400. Their 76 OPS+ marks them as 24% worse than average in terms of getting on base and hitting for power. Dead last in home runs with just 127, not a single player has reached the 20-home run threshold. Their run production has been equally woeful, averaging just 3.07 runs per game—the lowest in the league. In stark contrast, the 29th-ranked Rays average 3.78 runs.
The numbers further paint a painful picture. They have been outscored by opponents 799-479, resulting in a staggering -320 run differential. Andrew Vaughn, leading the team in both RBIs and runs with 67 and 54 respectively, ranks a dismal 103rd out of 130 qualifying players in OPS for the batting title. Vaughn’s struggles epitomize a lineup that has failed to find its footing all season long.
Defensive Struggles Compound Woes
Adding to their offensive woes, the White Sox have been the league's worst defensive team with -83 total zone runs. By comparison, the Marlins, who hold the 29th spot in this metric, fare better at -53 total zone runs. The Brewers and Mariners, tied for first, boast 46 total zone runs, highlighting the steep defense gap the White Sox need to bridge.
Pitching has been no savior for the South Siders, either. Erick Fedde, the team's leader in Wins Above Replacement (WAR), hasn't seen action since July 27. The cumulative effort has been dismal, with FanGraphs' version of WAR pegging the White Sox at -6.8, making them the league's only team with a negative figure. The next worst team, the Colorado Rockies, still manage a positive 4.1 WAR.
Home and Away: Equally Dire
The White Sox’s 16-62 road record and 20-58 home record are both the worst in the league. Before this season, the team had never lost more than 55 road games or 53 home games in a single season. Their performance on both fronts underscores a season full of struggles and missed opportunities.
Additionally, the White Sox have endured multiple lengthy slumps, including losing streaks of 21, 14, and 12 straight games each. This season also saw seven, six, and two five-game losing streaks, with one five-game cold spell still active. Historically, the team had endured 12-game losing streaks only three times: in 1924, 1927, and 1967.
A Grim Second Half
Since the All-Star break, the White Sox have managed a woeful 9-49 record. No team has ever fallen below 15 wins 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, May and June, each produced a 9-19 record; July proved their worst month, finishing with a miserable 3-22 record.
Amidst this sea of failures, the White Sox found some solace in limited successes. They managed winning records against just five teams: the Braves (2-1), Rockies (2-1), Cardinals (2-1), Rays (4-2), and Nationals (2-1). However, their collapse within the AL Central, where they posted a 12-41 record, captures the extent of their struggles.
The 2024 Chicago White Sox season will go down as the worst in the franchise’s storied history. The culmination of poor hitting, abysmal defense, and a spate of injuries resulted in a record-breaking campaign—but for all the wrong reasons. As the final week of the season looms, fans are left to ponder what went so drastically wrong for a team that fell to unprecedented depths.