With just one week remaining in the 2024 Major League Baseball season, the Chicago White Sox are poised to conclude a historically dismal campaign. They are on the brink of finishing with the worst record in modern baseball history, a dubious distinction they currently share with the 1962 New York Mets. At 36-120, the White Sox have already tied the Mets' record for most losses in a single season, with six games left to play.
The team’s offensive performance has been nothing short of abysmal. They are collectively hitting a paltry .220/.278/.339, significantly below the league-average slash line of .244/.312/.400. An OPS+ of 76 further illustrates their struggles, indicating that they are 24% worse than the league average when it comes to getting on base and hitting for power. The power outage is evident, as they rank last in home runs with just 127 for the season, and not a single player has hit 20 home runs.
Offensive Struggles
Scoring has been a consistent issue for the White Sox. They average only 3.07 runs per game, the lowest in the league, with the next closest team, the Rays, averaging 3.78 runs. This lack of run production has led to the team being outscored by a staggering margin of 799-479, resulting in a -320 run differential.
Andrew Vaughn has been the team’s lone semblance of an offensive bright spot, leading in both RBIs and runs with 67 and 54 respectively. However, his 103rd ranking out of 130 qualifying players in OPS for the batting title underscores the overall inadequacy of the lineup.
Defensive and Pitching Woes
The defensive side of the game has provided no respite for the White Sox. They rank as the worst defensive team in the league with -83 total zone runs. To put that in context, the Marlins, who are 29th, have -53 total zone runs, and the Brewers and Mariners lead the league with 46.
On the pitching front, the situation remains equally dire. Erick Fedde, who leads the team in WAR, hasn't pitched since July 27, contributing to the overall poor performance. The team’s collective WAR from FanGraphs stands at a dismal -6.8, making them the only team in the league with a negative figure. The Rockies, who are 29th, still manage a positive 4.1 WAR.
Home and Away Disasters
The White Sox's record both at home and on the road has been historically bad. Their 16-62 road record is the worst in the league, with the Rockies trailing behind with 24 wins. At home, they are 20-58, again the league’s worst, while the Marlins have the next fewest home wins at 30-51. Before this season, the White Sox had never lost more than 55 road games or 53 home games in a single season.
Notable Streaks
The season has been punctuated by extended periods of poor performance. The White Sox have endured losing streaks of 21, 14, and 12 games each. Additional streaks of seven, six, and two stints of five losses each have further marred their season. Notably, one five-game losing streak is still active.
Since the All-Star break, the White Sox are 9-49. Historically, no team has won fewer than 15 games in a full second half, a record currently held by the A's, who went 15-61 in 1915 and 1943. The White Sox’s best months were May and June, where they managed a 9-19 record in each. July was their worst month, with a 3-22 record.
Concluding a Forgettable Season
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, their performance against the rest of the AL Central has been abysmal, with a 12-41 record. As the 2024 season draws to a close, it will be remembered as the worst in the history of Major League Baseball for the Chicago White Sox, leaving fans and analysts to wonder what went so profoundly wrong and what steps will be taken to rectify such a historically poor performance.