ESPN has released its mid-season MLB grades and to nobody's surprise, the White Sox received the worst grade in the MLB. ESPN gave the White Sox an F- for its first-half failures which includes owning the worst record in baseball.
Chris Getz managed to pull off a rather impressive feat with the 2024 White Sox. The White Sox made the surprise decision to move Garrett Crochet from the bullpen to the starting rotation and took a flier on Erick Fedde, who was pitching in Korea last season after being out of the MLB for a year. Fedde now ranks third in the American League in WAR with a 2.99 ERA among pitchers, while Crochet has been named an All-Star and ranks fourth in WAR. Despite having two of the best-starting pitchers in the AL the White Sox still managed to get off to a historically awful start and are on pace to lose over 100 games for the second consecutive season.
But the reasons for the failing grade go far beyond the record. Getz had stated that his goal was to improve the team's defense. The White Sox currently ranks 23rd in fielding percentage and 27th in the MLB with a -23 Outs Above Average. Injuries have also hurt the White Sox with Yoan Moncada, Luis Robert Jr., and Eloy Jimenez all spending significant time on the IL.
Offensively things are not much better. The White Sox bats rank last in the MLB in runs scored, last in OBP, and last in slugging percentage. They also rank 26th in the MLB in home runs despite playing half their games in a very hitter-friendly park at Guaranteed Rate Field.
Because of this, the White Sox are knocking at the door for the worst winning percentage in franchise history. Things could get even worse with trade rumors surrounding Crochet, Fedde, and Luis Robert Jr. If any of those three are traded, and all signs indicate at least one of them will be dealt, then an already bad White Sox team could get even worse.
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