With just one week remaining in the 2024 Major League Baseball season, the Chicago White Sox are staring at the possibility of ending the year with the worst record in modern baseball history. As their dismal season winds down, the White Sox are 36-120, already tying the infamous 1962 New York Mets for the most losses in a season. The team still has six games left to play, each one potentially pushing them further into the record books for all the wrong reasons.
From batting to defense, the White Sox's performance this season has been abysmal. Collectively, the team has hit a paltry .220/.278/.339, which falls significantly below the league-average slash line of .244/.312/.400. Their 76 OPS+ indicates they are 24% worse than league average in getting on base and hitting for power. This statistical disparity is felt even more acutely in their home run tally. With only 127 home runs, the White Sox rank dead last across all teams, and not a single player has reached the 20-home run milestone.
Offensively, the White Sox's struggles are glaring. They are averaging just 3.07 runs per game, the lowest in the league. For comparison, the Tampa Bay Rays, who rank 29th in this category, manage 3.78 runs per game. Over the season, the team has been dramatically outscored 799-479, resulting in a staggering -320 run differential. These substantial deficits have made it incredibly challenging for the White Sox to be competitive in any game.
Andrew Vaughn has been the team's standout player, albeit in a difficult season. He leads with 67 RBIs and 54 runs, but his performance only ranks him 103rd out of 130 qualifying players in OPS for the batting title. This underscores the overall struggle of the team to make significant offensive contributions.
Defensively, the story is no better. The White Sox are the worst defensive team in the league, with -83 total zone runs. To put this in perspective, the Miami Marlins, who are 29th in total zone runs, have -53, while the Brewers and Mariners tie for first with 46 total zone runs. This defensive lapse has been a crucial factor in their dismal record.
Additionally, pitcher Erick Fedde, the team's leader in WAR, hasn't pitched since July 27. The lack of impact from key players has been a major setback, contributing to their disheartening -6.8 collective performance in FanGraphs' version of WAR, the only team in the league with a negative figure. In contrast, the Rockies, who are 29th in WAR, have a positive 4.1.
The White Sox's struggles have been exacerbated on the road and at home. Their 16-62 road record is the worst in the league, with the next fewest road wins belonging to the Rockies at 24. At home, the White Sox are 20-58, again the worst in the league, with the Marlins next at 30-51. Before this disastrous season, the White Sox had never lost more than 55 road games or 53 home games in a single season.
This season has been marked by several lengthy slumps, including sequences of 21, 14, and 12 straight losses. They've also endured additional losing streaks of seven, six, and two stints of five, one of which is currently active. Historically, the White Sox had only suffered losing streaks of 12 games or more three times before this season—in 1924, 1927, and 1967.
Since the All-Star break, the team has posted a horrific 9-49 record. No team in modern history has won fewer than 15 games in a full second half, a dubious record 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 identical 9-19 records. Their worst month was July, where they posted a dismal 3-22 record. In terms of head-to-head matchups, 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 bleak, with a 12-41 record.
The 2024 season is unequivocally the worst in Major League Baseball history for the Chicago White Sox. As they approach their final games, the team can only hope to avoid further infamy and begin planning for a future beyond this catastrophic season.