With just one week left in the 2024 Major League Baseball season, the Chicago White Sox are on the brink of finishing with the worst record in modern baseball history. Currently standing at 36-120, the White Sox have already tied the notorious 1962 New York Mets with 120 losses, underscoring a season of profound disappointment and poor performance.
The team has six games left to play, but expectations are muted given their overall performance. As a team, they are hitting a paltry .220/.278/.339, lagging significantly behind the league-average slash line of .244/.312/.400. The team's struggles are further emphasized by an OPS+ of just 76, indicating they are 24% worse than the league average in on-base percentage and slugging.
One of the most glaring deficiencies for the White Sox has been their power hitting. Ranking dead last in home runs, the team has only managed to hit 127 this season. Not a single player has reached the 20-home run mark, a startling statistic in an era where power hitting is crucial to offensive success.
These offensive woes contribute to their league-low average of just 3.07 runs per game. To put that into perspective, the Tampa Bay Rays, who rank 29th in the league for runs per game, average 3.78. This lack of offensive production has resulted in the White Sox being outscored 799-479, leading to a staggering -320 run differential.
The team's lackluster offense is mirrored by an equally poor defensive performance. They hold the distinction of being the worst defensive team in the league, accumulating -83 total zone runs. In stark contrast, the Brewers and Mariners, who lead the league in total zone runs, boast a figure of 46 each. The Marlins, ranked 29th, have -53 total zone runs, illustrating just how far the White Sox have fallen.
Pitching woes have compounded these struggles. Erick Fedde, the team's leader in Wins Above Replacement (WAR), hasn't pitched since July 27, further weakening an already fragile lineup. The White Sox's collective performance in FanGraphs' version of WAR is -6.8, making them the only team in the league with a negative figure. For comparison, the Colorado Rockies, who are 29th in WAR, have a positive 4.1.
Their road record further highlights their struggles. With a 16-62 record in away games, the White Sox are the worst in the league by a wide margin. At home, they fare no better, holding a 20-58 record, again the worst in the league. Before this season, the White Sox had never lost more than 55 road games or 53 home games in a single season.
Extended slumps have marred their season. The team has endured three lengthy losing streaks—of 21, 14, and 12 straight losses each. They have suffered additional losing streaks of seven, six, and two stints of five, one of which is still active. These streaks have been historically significant; before this season, the White Sox had experienced losing streaks of 12 games or more only three times in their history—in 1924, 1927, and 1967.
Since the All-Star break, the White Sox have posted a dismal 9-49 record. No team has ever won fewer than 15 games in a full second half, a dubious record currently held by the Athletics, who went 15-61 in both 1915 and 1943. Remarkably, the White Sox’s best months were May and June, each with a 9-19 record, while their worst month was July, where they managed just 3 wins against 22 losses.
In a season full of low points, there have been very 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, their performance against the rest of the AL Central was abysmal, going 12-41.
Andrew Vaughn has been a rare positive note, leading the team in both RBIs (67) and runs (54). Yet even Vaughn ranks 103rd out of 130 qualifying players in OPS for the batting title, reflecting the overall struggles of the team's offensive lineup.
The 2024 season will go down as the worst in Chicago White Sox history, and possibly the worst in Major League Baseball history. The final week of the season will determine whether they emerge with the singular distinction of having the lowest win total in the modern era, a record no team aspires to achieve.