With just one week remaining in the 2024 Major League Baseball season, the Chicago White Sox find themselves on the brink of an infamous milestone. Currently sitting at a dismal 36-120, the White Sox have matched the 1962 New York Mets' record for losses, setting the stage for what could become the worst season in modern baseball history.
The White Sox's offensive struggles have been glaring. They are hitting an anemic .220/.278/.339, far below the league-average slash line of .244/.312/.400. Their poor hitting is encapsulated by a meager OPS+ of 76, meaning they are performing 24% worse than the league average in getting on base and hitting for power. Ranking dead last in home runs, they have managed to hit only 127 throughout the entire season, with no single player eclipsing the 20-home run mark.
The offensive woes are further highlighted by their low scoring output. The White Sox average just 3.07 runs per game, which is the lowest in the league by a considerable margin. For context, the Tampa Bay Rays, who rank 29th in this statistic, average 3.78 runs per game. This gap underscores the vast gulf between the White Sox and even the second-worst offensive team.
Andrew Vaughn has emerged as a relative bright spot in an otherwise dismal lineup. He leads the team in both RBIs and runs, with 67 and 54, respectively. However, his individual performance is a microcosm of the team's struggles. Vaughn ranks 103rd out of 130 qualifying players in OPS for the batting title, a sobering statistic for the White Sox faithful.
Defensively, the White Sox have been equally as ineffective. They rank as the worst defensive team in the league, with a total of -83 total zone runs. The Miami Marlins, who are 29th in this metric, are markedly better with -53 total zone runs. Leading the league in this area are the Brewers and Mariners, both tied with 46 total zone runs.
As troubling as their hitting and defense have been, the White Sox's pitching has offered little relief. Erick Fedde, the team's leader in Wins Above Replacement (WAR), hasn't pitched since July 27. This absence has further hampered an already struggling pitching staff. The White Sox collectively own a -6.8 WAR according to FanGraphs, making them the only team in the league with a negative figure. In stark contrast, the next worst team, the Rockies, have a positive 4.1 WAR.
Both at home and on the road, the White Sox have consistently been outperformed. 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, again the worst in the league, followed by the Marlins who have a 30-51 home record. Notably, this season marks the first time the White Sox have lost more than 55 road games or 53 home games in a single season.
The frequency and length of the team's losing streaks this season have been daunting. They have endured slumps of 21, 14, and 12 straight losses each. In addition, they have suffered from losing streaks of seven, six, and two stints of five games, with one of these streaks still active. Prior to this season, the White Sox had experienced losing streaks of 12 games or more only three times in their storied history.
Since the All-Star break, the White Sox have posted an abysmal 9-49 record. No team has ever won fewer than 15 games in an entire second half of a major league season, a record currently held by the A's, who went 15-61 in both 1915 and 1943. The White Sox’s best months were May and June, where they managed identical 9-19 records. Their worst month was July, which saw them go 3-22.
In all, the White Sox managed winning records against just five teams this season: the Braves (2-1), Rockies (2-1), Cardinals (2-1), Rays (4-2), and Nationals (2-1). Against the rest of the AL Central, however, the team is a woeful 12-41. The 2024 season, undeniably, stands as the worst in the history of the Chicago White Sox.