With just one week remaining in the 2024 Major League Baseball season, the Chicago White Sox are on the brink of ending the campaign with the worst record in modern baseball history. Holding a 36-120 record, the White Sox have matched the infamous 1962 New York Mets with 120 losses, and with six games left, history is not on their side.
The statistics provide a grim overview of the team's on-field struggles. As a unit, the White Sox are hitting a dismal .220/.278/.339, significantly underperforming compared to the league-average slash line of .244/.312/.400. Their OPS+ of 76 starkly indicates they are 24% worse than the league average in getting on base and hitting for power.
The power outage is notably severe, as the White Sox rank dead last in home runs, with only 127 for the season. Astonishingly, not a single player has reached the 20-home run milestone. Averaging just 3.07 runs per game, the team's offensive difficulties are further underscored. Comparatively, the Rays, who are 29th in runs per game, still manage to average 3.78 runs.
Defensively, the statistics are equally troubling. The White Sox have posted -83 total zone runs, the worst in the league. This contrasts sharply with the Brewers and Mariners, who lead this statistic with 46 total zone runs. The Marlins, the second-worst defensive team, have -53 total zone runs, yet still perform notably better than the White Sox.
Pitching has also been a sore point. Erick Fedde, who leads the team in WAR, hasn't pitched since July 27. The collective performance of the White Sox in FanGraphs' version of WAR is a dismal -6.8, making them the only team with a negative figure. The Rockies, holding the penultimate spot, still have a positive 4.1 WAR. The team's 16-62 road record is the worst in the league, with the Rockies trailing behind with 24 road wins. At home, the White Sox are 20-58, again the worst. For context, the Marlins have the next fewest home wins at 30-51.
The season has been punctuated by three extensive losing streaks—21, 14, and 12 straight losses. Additional slumps included streaks of seven, six, and two separate five-game losing skids, one of which is still active. Historically, the White Sox had suffered losing streaks of 12 games or more just three times— in 1924, 1927, and 1967—making this season particularly unprecedented.
Since the All-Star break, the White Sox have endured a 9-49 record. No team in MLB history has ever won fewer than 15 games in a full second half, a record held by the A's, who went 15-61 in both 1915 and 1943. The downward spiral has been unrelenting, with July marking their worst month at 3-22. The best months, May and June, each saw a pedestrian 9-19 record.
In a season loaded with dismal outcomes, the White Sox managed winning records against just five teams: the Braves (2-1), Rockies (2-1), Cardinals (2-1), Rays (4-2), and Nationals (2-1). However, their record against the rest of the AL Central stands at a staggering 12-41.
Andrew Vaughn has been a rare bright spot, leading the team in both RBIs and runs with 67 and 54, respectively. Yet, his performance ranks 103rd out of 130 qualifying players in OPS for the batting title, a stat that underscores the team's offensive woes further.
The cumulative effect of these struggles presents the 2024 season as the worst in Major League Baseball history for the Chicago White Sox. Despite the impending end of the season, the team’s woes will likely reverberate well into the future, leaving a mark not just on this year’s record but on the franchise's legacy.