As the 2024 Major League Baseball season draws to a close, the Chicago White Sox face the grim reality of possibly finishing with the worst record in modern baseball history. With a current standing of 36-120, they have already tied the infamous 1962 New York Mets’ record of 120 losses, with six more games left to play.
The White Sox's offensive struggles have been glaringly apparent throughout the season. The team collectively hit .220/.278/.339, falling considerably short of the league-average slash line of .244/.312/.400. They managed an OPS+ of just 76, indicating they were 24% worse than the league average in getting on base and hitting for power. Their power outage is further highlighted by their league-worst total of 127 home runs, with no single player reaching the 20-home run milestone.
Scoring just 3.07 runs per game, the White Sox own the lowest run production in the league. To put this into perspective, the Tampa Bay Rays, who rank 29th, average 3.78 runs per game. The disparity in offensive production is stark and is a major reason the team has been so uncompetitive this year. Andrew Vaughn, despite leading the team in both RBIs (67) and runs (54), ranks merely 103rd out of 130 qualifying players in OPS for the batting title.
Defensively, the team’s woes are just as pronounced. The White Sox have a league-worst -83 total zone runs, far below the Marlins, who are 29th with -53. In contrast, the Brewers and Mariners are tied for first with 46 total zone runs, underscoring the defensive deficiencies that have plagued Chicago all season.
Even on the road and at home, the White Sox have been unable to find solace. They possess the worst road record in the league at 16-62, with the Colorado Rockies following with 24 road wins. At home, they fare no better, posting a dismal 20-58 record. The Marlins, who have the next fewest home wins, stand at 30-51. For a franchise that had never lost more than 55 road games or 53 home games in a single season before, this season marks an unfortunate first.
The team’s inability to build momentum is further illustrated by their three lengthy slumps—one of 21 games, another of 14 games, and a third of 12 straight losses. Additional losing streaks include stretches of seven, six, and two separate stints of five, with one of those currently active. Historically, the White Sox had suffered losing streaks of 12 games or more only three times: in 1924, 1927, and 1967. This season has added a series of ignominious marks to their record book.
Since the All-Star break, the White Sox have posted a 9-49 record. Remarkably, no team has ever won fewer than 15 games in a full second half of a season, a dubious record held by the Athletics, who went 15-61 in both 1915 and 1943. This puts the White Sox at risk of setting another unwanted record. Their best months, May and June, saw the team go 9-19 each, while their worst month, July, witnessed them wade through a 3-22 stretch.
Despite the overwhelming adversities, the team did manage moderate success against a few opponents, achieving winning records against the Braves (2-1), Rockies (2-1), Cardinals (2-1), Rays (4-2), and Nationals (2-1). However, this does little to mitigate their overall performance, especially within their own division, where they have gone 12-41 against the rest of the AL Central.
The absence of key contributors has also taken its toll. Erick Fedde, the team’s leader in WAR, hasn’t pitched since July 27. This has undoubtedly impacted the team, considering their collective performance in FanGraphs’ version of WAR is a staggeringly poor -6.8, making them the only team in the league with a negative figure. In contrast, the Rockies, ranked 29th in WAR, posted a positive 4.1.
In sum, the 2024 season has been a perfect storm of offensive ineptitude, defensive lapses, and lackluster performance both at home and on the road. As the White Sox approach their final week, they stand on the brink of cementing their place in baseball infamy. The hope for a brighter future remains, but for now, the harsh reality is unavoidable: the Chicago White Sox are enduring the worst season in Major League Baseball history.