As the 2024 Major League Baseball season winds to a close, the Chicago White Sox find themselves on the precipice of baseball infamy. With a record standing at 36-120, they have already tied the 1962 New York Mets for the most losses in a single season. With six games remaining, the White Sox have a chance to set a new benchmark for futility in modern baseball history.
From an offensive standpoint, the team's performance has been disastrously subpar. They are hitting a collective .220/.278/.339, significantly below the league average of .244/.312/.400. Their OPS+ stands at 76, indicating they are 24% worse than league average in terms of getting on base and hitting for power. The White Sox have managed to hit just 127 home runs, ranking dead last in the league, without a single player reaching the 20-homer milestone.
Scoring has been another major issue for the team, managing an average of only 3.07 runs per game, the lowest in the entire league. The Tampa Bay Rays, who have the second-lowest runs per game, still fare much better at 3.78. The run differential further highlights their struggles, having been outscored 799-479, leaving them with a staggering -320 run differential.
Andrew Vaughn has been the standout performer, albeit in a bleak season. Leading the team with 67 RBIs and 54 runs, Vaughn ranks just 103rd out of 130 qualifying players in OPS for the batting title, encapsulating the team's collective difficulties at the plate.
As if their offensive struggles weren't enough, the White Sox have also been the league's worst defensive team, with -83 total zone runs. To put it in context, the Miami Marlins, who rank 29th in this metric, have -53 total zone runs. In stark contrast, the Brewers and Mariners lead the league with 46 total zone runs.
Pitching hasn't been a strong suit for the White Sox either, with standout performer Erick Fedde, who leads the team in WAR, sidelined since July 27. Not surprisingly, the team's collective WAR according to FanGraphs is a dismal -6.8, making them the only team with a negative figure. Comparatively, the Colorado Rockies, ranked 29th, have a positive WAR of 4.1.
The team's road performance has been notably poor, recording a 16-62 record—the worst in the league. The Rockies again serve as a comparative measure, holding the next fewest road wins with 24. Their home record is equally abysmal at 20-58, also the worst in the MLB. The Marlins follow with 30-51 for home record lows.
Historical Context and Record-Breaking Slumps
The depths of this season become even more alarming when looking at their historical context. Before 2024, the White Sox had never lost more than 55 games on the road or 53 games at home. This has been compounded by several long losing streaks this season—21, 14, and 12 straight losses each, along with seven, six, and two five-game skids, one of which is still active. Prior to this season, they had only experienced three losing streaks of 12 or more games—occurring in 1924, 1927, and 1967.
Since the All-Star break, the White Sox have posted a 9-49 record, threatening to set an unprecedented low for second-half performance. No team has ever won fewer than 15 games in a full second half, a dubious record held by the A's, who managed a 15-61 record in both 1915 and 1943.
Seasonal Breakdown
Their best months—May and June—both saw the team finish with a 9-19 record. July marked their worst month, where they managed just three wins against 22 losses. Surprisingly, the White Sox had winning records against a handful of teams, going 2-1 against the Braves, Rockies, and Cardinals, 4-2 against the Rays, and 2-1 against the Nationals. Nonetheless, their performance within their division has been dismal, holding a 12-41 record against the rest of the AL Central.
As the White Sox play out their final six games, the 2024 season is set to go down as the worst in the franchise's history. With nothing left but pride on the line, the team aims to avoid setting a new low in modern baseball history, though the odds are not in their favor.