(Image via espn.com)
Staff Writer: Aidan Danforth
Email: adanforth@umassd.edu
Chicago fans can’t seem to catch a break. The Chicago White Sox have broken the worst record in baseball at 41-121, this historical moment happened on September 27th after a 4-1 loss to the Detroit Tigers.
The 1962 New York Mets held the previous record with a record of 40-120.
Nobody expected Chicago to be much this season, but not a single fan anticipated the team to break a 64-year record for losing so much.
How awful were the White Sox in 2024, and should they be considered the worst team in MLB history?
Contributing Factors
The White Sox barely had any bright stars on their team. Most of them were free-agent busts of failed draft picks.
Their best batter was Andrew Vaughn who had 19 home runs, 70 RBI, and played the most games with 149. He also led the team in batting average at .246 and had the most bases gained at 229.
Andrew Benintendi led the team in home runs with 20 runs and was the only other player to start 130+ games. Luis Robert Jr and Dylan Cease were not bad either, but no one on the batting team was eye-opening.
It’s also important to note the White Sox had the lowest hitting percentage at .220 and .243 and were the only team not to score 500 runs.
The pitching was one of the brighter spots, as the services of Erick Fedde and Garrett Crochet did help them win some games. The team still had horrific days pitching, mostly due to the rotation.
Despite their atrocious season, the team did have one all-star in Garrett Crochet. However, the team plans to trade him, so they’ll be heading into next April without a single all-star on the roster.
In nearly every statistic, Chicago finished near last from hitting, base percentage, snuggling, etc. Their 21st-ranked defense was one of very few stats they didn’t have a bottom-five finish in.
The roster of arguably the worst team in MLB history consists of underperforming youth, failed draft picks, and a lack of veteran presence.
Hopefully, with Pedro Grifol being fired, Grady Sizemore (the interim manager) can acquire much-needed talent and a veteran presence to have the team gain leverage.
2024 White Sox vs 1962 Mets
For over 50 years, the 1962 Mets have been known as the worst team in MLB history. But now, the 2024 White Sox may appear to challenge that title.
The 62 Mets had similar stats in terms of batting. All of their players hit under .300, and things like RBIs and bases touched were similar.
Their pitching wasn’t anything special compared to Chicago. All of their starting pitchers had losing records, including two who had 20+ losses.
Like with the 2024 White Sox, the Mets had only one all-star in Richie Ashburn and he retired after his first season with them.
The 2024 White Sox hold the sixth all-time biggest losing streak at 21 games, while New York had their highest losing streak of 17 games, tied for 19th all-time.
Five straight games was also a feat both teams failed to achieve. The White Sox had a slightly better streak at four, while the Mets only won three.
What separates these teams from the same record is one loss. The Mets went 40-160-1. Their one tie came late in the season against the Houston Colts. The White Sox finished 41-121 with an extra win and loss.
Both teams will forever be known as two of the worst MLB teams ever. The upside to possibly being one of the worst MLB teams ever is you can’t possibly be worse than Chicago.
Fans shouldn’t be too optimistic for the coming years. New manager Sizemore has quite a hole to crawl out of for Chicago to become decent. The team doesn’t even have the first pick after a trade that left them with the tenth pick.
Are the 2024 White Sox the worst team in MLB history? Or were they unable to dethrone the disastrous 1962 season by the New York Mets?