The 2024 Chicago White Sox secured themselves a new title this season. They are now known as the losingest team in MLB history.
Despite winning their final game on September 29th, the White Sox ended the season with the worst record in the MLB at 41-121. Losing 121 games in a season leaves them with the worst record in modern MLB history. They beat out the previous record holders, the 1962 New York Mets, who had lost 120 games in their terrible season. Being the league’s biggest loser was not always the story for the White Sox. The White Sox made the playoffs in both 2020 and 2021 however the team missed the playoffs in 2022 and 2023.
In 2024, how did the White Sox end up here? Why has a once successful team transformed into one of the worst teams in history in less than four years?
This may be for various reasons, such as their loss of players in free agency, injuries, or a lack of coaching. One thing is for certain this team is not the team of old.
MHS Freshman, Chase Miller, has been a loyal fan since the day he was born. Reflecting on this season, he said he is questioning his loyalty and whether he’ll remain a fan of a struggling team. He even said, “I honestly think they should just lose the rest and pray for next season.” Miller is obviously frustrated and so are many other fans.
MHS English teacher, Mark Landuyt is also a longtime White Sox fan. He said, “I wish I could just say ‘forget you’ to the Sox and cheer for another team, but the Sox have been the team I have emotionally invested in for too many years to cut bait. That said, a baseball team is like a summer companion for a fan because the season is so long, and for the last two years or so, I feel like I have lost that companionship.”
The Chicago White Sox during this season have quickly grown to being known as the worst team in the league by far. Some fans agree with Miller when he said, “injuries and lack of good management has led to very poor play.”
As USA Today in a September 4th article, “They are trying. Not that it makes it any easier.”
It’s true the White Sox have struggled in games with their key players being kept off the field due to injury. For example, a prior season key player, center fielder, Luis Robert, missed 60 games this season. To fill this void, the White Sox made trades to fill this position, but this was not enough to turn around the season. Another outfield injury was suffered by left fielder, Eloy Jimenez. He missed 45 games for the team due to injury and was subsequently traded to the Orioles. The White Sox did not wait until the off season to make changes to the staff. The White Sox fired their manager, Pedro Grifol, on August 8th and are now led by interim manager, Grady Sizemore.
The White Sox change to coaching did not seem to help though because according to a Bleacher Report article during the run under Pedro Grifol, the White Sox went an abysmal 28-89.
During the season, the White Sox have gone just 8-31 with Sizemore at the helm. This seems to prove to many fans around the MLB that the White Sox may just be a lost cause.
Have the White Sox gone down a road that is impossible to overcome in professional sports? White Sox fans may look to teams such as division rival, the Detroit Tigers, for a glimmer of hope. The Tigers were the worst team in the league in 2003 and 2019. In 2024, the Tigers are now fighting for a Wild Card spot in the playoffs. Some fans, like Miller, are looking for the team to utilize the MLB farm system. He said, “I think they will build the farm system but the major league team will continue to struggle,” and that he hopes “to see new young talents start to rise,” from the White Sox’s farm system. He may be right. The White Sox recently drafted to the farm system a talented LHP (left handed pitcher), Hagen Smith, with the 5th pick in last year’s draft. Maybe we will see him at Guarantee Rate Field soon.
Other fans, such as Landuyt, see a path forward by making changes to players as well as in the front offices. He stated, “I wish I had a simple way of rebuilding the team, but I hope that players like Luis Robert Jr. and Garret Crochet can have productive years and get traded to teams that will benefit more from their skills. Maybe the Sox get some top-tier talent in return, but, of course, we’ve seen this movie before.”
He continued, “While I’m not often a ‘sell the team’ kind of fan, I think the entire organization needs a complete tear down and brand-new leadership. Truly, the White Sox need a ‘Theo Epstein-type’ of president/GM to completely change and contemporize the organizational climate.”
Being the biggest loser in the MLB is not the title any team starts off the season hoping to win, the good news about baseball is there is always next season. Hopefully, in years to come the White Sox will be making headlines for a winning record.
