2024 White Sox: Sheets & Giggles

I'm not looking to make this my thread, but I think we need a depository for baseball's most dysfunctional and dyspeptic club of clodhoppers. So let's get started…

The 3-21 White Sox rank last in the American League in offense, next-to-last in pitching and 12th in defense. Each of their wins has been followed by a minimum of five losses. They've already been shut out eight times and have six losses of 7 or more runs. If they lose their next game, Chicago will match the 2022 Reds and 2003 Tigers for the worst 25-game start to a season in the wildcard era (since 1995).

The oft-injured Luis Robert Jr survived just 7 games while the oft-injured Yoan Moncada lasted 11 before joining the oft-injured Eloy Jimenez in the strained adductor club... Jimenez has since returned to struggle with the rest of his teammates. Meanwhile, the Andrews – Vaughn and Benintendi – have fewer hits than the Andrews Sisters, batting a combined .162 while seeing more at-bats than any of their teammates. That .162 also represents starting catcher Martin Maldonado's entire OPS, as he's gone 2-for-42. Last year's ace Dylan Cease, traded to the Padres during spring training, has as many wins in five games as his old teammates have in 24.

Every club will always have a couple of bright spots and that's still true for the White Sox, though their sustainability is iffy at best. Gavin Sheets looks like he could be on his way to a career year with a 158 OPS+ through 20 games. However, he could also regress back towards the 64 OPS+ he put up last season. Eric Fedde has posted a 2.73 ERA through 5 starts… that's 31-year-old Eric Fedde who pitched in Korea last year after posting a 77 ERA+ over parts of five seasons with the Nats. Perhaps the best thing the White Sox have going for them is that 7 of their top 10 prospects are playing at the AA level or higher, so the second half of 2024 could see some lengthy tryouts. I have my doubts they should or will entrust their future with Pedro Grifol, who has never looked or acted like a leader of men, who spent most of 2023 with an expression similar to Tim Anderson after a run-in with Jose Ramirez, and currently has a career managerial record of 64-121.

The White Sox are back on course, just dropping the 10th of their last 11 games. On pace for 118 losses, which would be the third most all-time behind the 1899 Cleveland Spiders, 1962 New York Mets and 2003 Detroit Tigers.

Gavin Sheets did go deep in the 8th to avoid what would have been their 10th shutout of the season, but they are still scoring 0.85 fewer runs per game than the next-worst team in baseball (1.46 below league average). Their team OPS+ is 73, which is like having a lineup full of Alex Coras. They are the only team in baseball that hasn't had a batter intentionally walked yet.

The pitching isn't quite as terrible, but their 4.71 ERA is the worst anywhere less than a mile above sea level. They are also last in the majors in FIP and tied for last in HR/9 and ERA+.

There's not much there to kickstart a rebuild either. Eloy Jimenez has two team options after this season but has only topped 84 games twice in his six year career – averaging a Buxtonesque 87 games per season. He's out again with a strained hamstring and not expected back until early July. Tommy Pham has been their best hitter since joining the team a month ago, but Pham is available every July and no one wanted him over the off-season, so he's not going to command any highly considered prospect. Likewise, Paul DeJong is having a respectable season, but nearly played his way out of the majors the past couple of years. Yoan Moncada (adductor strain) has only played 11 games and will probably return only a week or two before the trade deadline. Chicago would also likely have to cover the $5M buyout Moncada is due just to get any takers at all. They don't even have any relievers enjoying a really good year.

Unless they see what they can get for the 3.5 years of control left on Gavin Sheets, the one thing of value they have is Erick Fedde. He still seems like kind of an unknown with 1/3 of a season of success after a detour to Korea to resurrect his career. Either he or Garrett Crochet will be Chicago's All-Star this year, but Fedde had several years in Washington to establish himself as a below-average starter before he came out of nowhere. His age (31) and contract (still under control next year for $7.5M) make it an easy decision to see what he's worth now instead of risking he turns back into a pumpkin.