With a week remaining in the 2024 Major League Baseball season, the Chicago White Sox are poised to make a notorious mark in baseball history. Sitting at a staggering 36-120, the team has already matched the infamy of the 1962 New York Mets with 120 losses, and with six games left, they are on the verge of setting a new benchmark for futility in modern baseball.
As a collective, the White Sox have struggled mightily at the plate. Their team slash line of .220/.278/.339 is far below the league-average .244/.312/.400, highlighting their inability to reach base and hit for power. This underperformance is encapsulated in their 76 OPS+, indicating they are performing 24% worse than the league average in key offensive categories. Shockingly, the team ranks last in home runs, managing only 127 long balls this season, and not a single player on the roster has hit the 20-home run milestone.
The lack of offensive production is starkly evident in their scoring stats. Averaging just 3.07 runs per game, the White Sox offense is the least productive in the league. By comparison, the Tampa Bay Rays, who rank 29th in runs per game, average a significantly higher 3.78 runs. The evidence of their struggle is further underscored by the chasm-like run differential; the team has been outscored 799-479, resulting in an unparalleled -320 run differential over the season.
Individual Performances and Defensive Struggles
Leading the team in both RBIs and runs, Andrew Vaughn has posted 67 and 54 respectively. Yet, even his contributions are overshadowed by the broader context of the team's underperformance. Vaughn's OPS ranks him 103rd out of 130 qualifying players for the batting title, a testament to the dire state of the lineup.
Defensively, the White Sox have fared no better. With -83 total zone runs, they rank as the worst defensive team in baseball. To put this in perspective, the Miami Marlins, who rank second-worst in this metric, have -53 total zone runs. The stark contrast can also be seen when comparing top defensive teams like the Brewers and Mariners, both tied for first with 46 total zone runs.
Pitching Woes and Historical Context
The pitching staff has seen its share of struggles as well. Erick Fedde, the team's leader in Wins Above Replacement (WAR), has not pitched since July 27. The White Sox's collective performance in FanGraphs' WAR sits at a dismal -6.8, making them the only team with a negative figure this season. By comparison, the Colorado Rockies, sitting 29th in WAR, still manage a positive 4.1.
Their home and away records further illustrate the depth of their struggles. With a 16-62 record on the road and 20-58 at home, they hold the worst records for both categories in the league. Notably, the Bulldogs have never before lost more than 55 games on the road or 53 at home in a single season.
A Season of Streaks and Slumps
The 2024 season has been marked by numerous extended losing streaks. The team has suffered slumps of 21, 14, and 12 consecutive losses each, alongside additional losing streaks of seven, six, and two separate five-game stretches. Before this season, the White Sox had endured 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 have posted a 9-49 record. This puts them in danger of breaking an unprecedented record; no team has won fewer than 15 games in a full second half, a dubious distinction held by the A's, who went 15-61 in both 1915 and 1943. The team's best months this year, May and June, saw them manage only a 9-19 record each. July was particularly brutal, with the team going 3-22.
Despite their overall dismal performance, the White Sox have managed winning records against a handful of teams: the Braves (2-1), Rockies (2-1), Cardinals (2-1), Rays (4-2), and Nationals (2-1). However, their performance within the division has been abysmal, posting a 12-41 record against the rest of the AL Central.
As the 2024 season draws to a close, the Chicago White Sox are not merely contending with an underwhelming record but are staring down the possibility of ending with the worst season in Major League Baseball history—a season characterized by offensive struggles, defensive shortcomings, and relentless losing streaks.