While the vibes are markedly better in the White Sox clubhouse compared to their historically dreadful 2024 season, the results on the field have been nearly as bad.
At the halfway point of the season — and nearing the two-year mark of general manager Chris Getz’ rebuild — the good news is their 26-55 record has the Sox five games ahead of their pace during last year’s MLB-worst 121-loss season.
The bad news is they’re still on track for the second-worst season in franchise history, a third straight 100-plus loss campaign and another year in the statistical cellar in most key offensive categories.
A handful of promising rookies and the ongoing organizational overhaul should spark optimism, no matter how hard the games have been to watch, Getz says. He’s quick to point out the numbers that suggest a more competitive on-field product.
Twenty of their losses have come by one run, with an overall run differential of minus-82. That’s the third-biggest deficit in the league, but they had been outscored by 167 runs halfway through 2024.
“I have to remind myself that although that’s really frustrating and we need to get better there, to finish close games, so much of where we are right now is in things that are underneath, per se, in just the foundation of the organization,” Getz said.
That’s not easy to stomach for fans trying to remind themselves why they’re still paying attention to a team that entered Thursday with the worst batting average in the league (.220), lowest OPS (.638), fewest hits (583) third-fewest runs (263) and third-fewest home runs (64).
Those numbers could slide further if Getz finds a trading partner for Luis Robert Jr., who has still notched eight homers and 32 RBI in a career-worst first half. But several young players have at least passed the eye test enough to merit consideration for the Sox’ long-term prospects.
Infielder Miguel Vargas has rebounded from a dismal start to his Sox career to lead the team in most categories including homers (10) and RBI (34). And shortstop Chase Meidroth has become a mainstay at the top of manager Will Venable’s lineups with his .347 on-base percentage, while rookie catchers Edgar Quero and Kyle Teel have shown an early knack for consistent contact.
The pitching staff has commanded marginally more optimism, with Rule 5 rookie and potential All-Star Shane Smith (3-5, 3.38 ERA) anchoring a staff with the league’s 10th-highest ERA (4.18) and second-fewest strikeouts (584).
Opening Day starter Sean Burke (4-7, 4.22 ERA) has held up to his first full-season test alongside Davis Martin and Jonathan Cannon, who are working their ways back from injuries. And rookies Grant Taylor, Mike Vasil and Brandon Eisert have shown promise out of the bullpen.
Meanwhile, the Sox’ defense has left fans wanting more. Their 53 errors in the first half put them well beyond pace of last year’s squad, which finished tied for 10th-fewest in the league (90).
But if you’re just going off chemistry, players are giving rave reviews to the first-year manager Venable. Ex-manager Pedro Grifol lost his clubhouse well before the end of June before he was ousted last year.
“Some of the adversity guys have overcome and how this group collectively has gelled together and what they’ve created as a group is something that I’m happy that’s happened and proud of,” Venable said. “But we also have a lot of things that we need to clean up.”
Veteran outfielder Andrew Benintenti credits the newcomers with livening up a club that’s gotten far too familiar with losing.
“We’ve got a lot of young guys that come every day excited to play,” he said after a win against Arizona. “I’m not saying that the older guys aren’t, but you got guys like Teel. He’s crazy. He shows up, he’s talking all the time. You don’t know what he’s doing. The energy’s been great.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
