As the final week of the 2024 Major League Baseball season approaches, the Chicago White Sox are on the brink of securing a dubious place in history. With a record of 36-120, they have already tied the 1962 New York Mets for 120 losses, laying the groundwork for potentially the worst record in modern baseball history.
A Season of Offensive Struggles
From the outset, the White Sox have been plagued by offensive deficiencies. The team is collectively hitting .220/.278/.339, considerably below the league-average slash line of .244/.312/.400. Their performance at the plate is underscored by a meager 76 OPS+, indicating they are 24% worse than the league average in getting on base and hitting for power.
Home runs have been particularly scarce, with the team ranking last in the league after managing only 127 this season. Even more striking, not a single player has hit 20 home runs. Such an anemic offense resulted in the team averaging just 3.07 runs per game, the lowest in the league. To put this in perspective, the Tampa Bay Rays, who are second to last in runs per game, average 3.78 runs.
Andrew Vaughn has led the team in both RBIs and runs, with 67 and 54 respectively. However, his overall performance places him 103rd out of 130 qualifying players in OPS for the batting title.
Defensive Woes
The struggles have not been confined to the offense. The White Sox have also been the worst defensive team in the league, with -83 total zone runs. This figure starkly contrasts with the Brewers and Mariners, who are tied for the league lead with 46 total zone runs. Even the team ranked second-to-last, the Miami Marlins, fared significantly better with -53 total zone runs.
Pitching Troubles
On the mound, the picture is equally grim. Erick Fedde, the team’s leader in Wins Above Replacement (WAR), hasn’t pitched since July 27. The overall performance in FanGraphs' version of WAR is particularly dismal at -6.8, making the White Sox the only team in the league with a negative figure. The next worst team, the Colorado Rockies, have a positive 4.1 WAR.
Abysmal Records at Home and on the Road
To call the White Sox's road performance poor would be an understatement. With a 16-62 record away from home, they hold the worst mark in the league. Even the Rockies, who have the next fewest road wins, managed 24 victories.
The home record isn’t much better. At 20-58, the White Sox once again have the league's worst record. Prior to this season, the worst they had done was losing 55 road games and 53 home games in a single season.
Historic Losing Streaks
Lengthy losing streaks have been a theme throughout the season. The team has endured slumps of 21, 14, and 12 straight losses each. Additional losing streaks included seven, six, and two stints of five games, one of which remains active.
In comparison, before this season, the White Sox had suffered losing streaks of 12 games or more just three times in their history—in 1924, 1927, and 1967.
Since the All-Star break, the White Sox's record has been an abysmal 9-49. No team in history has won fewer than 15 games in a full second half, a record held by the Athletics, who went 15-61 in both 1915 and 1943.
Scant Moments of Success
May and June were the team's best months, each with a 9-19 record. July proved to be their nadir, where they posted a 3-22 record.
Amid a season of despair, there were a few bright spots. The White Sox managed winning records against only five teams: the Braves (2-1), Rockies (2-1), Cardinals (2-1), Rays (4-2), and Nationals (2-1). However, within their own division, their performance was dismal, going 12-41 against the rest of the AL Central.
As the 2024 season draws to a close, it is clear that this campaign will go down as the worst in the storied history of the Chicago White Sox. With just six games remaining, there remains a slim chance for the team to avoid the entire weight of this ignominious record. However, the wounds of this season's struggles will likely take time to heal.