Tis the season to ring in the new, and forget the past.
As 2025’s door opens, allow us to look back one last time and close the door on 2024, when the historically awful White Sox exasperated and disheartened their fans by losing more games than any team in modern history.
They went 3-22 to start the season, coughed up an American League record 21-game losing streak from July 10 to Aug. 5 and a 16-game home losing streak from Aug. 13 to Sept. 13 for paying customers to see with their own eyes.
They fired the manager and three coaches in the middle of it all and finished 41-121 to break the loss mark set by the expansion 1962 Mets.
The Sox finished 51.5 games behind first place Cleveland in the AL Central and were outscored by 306 runs, the worst run differentials coming in the seventh and eighth innings when many games hung in the balance. They were 18-63 on the road.
The Sox were the major leagues’ worst hitting team and the worst defensive team, finishing minus-87 in defensive runs saved. Their pitchers led the majors in walks and were third in runs allowed.
Sixty-three players, a franchise record in one season, contributed, including well-paid stars Luis Robert Jr. (April 5), Yoan Moncada (April 9) and Eloy Jimenez (March 31) who went down early with injuries suffered while simply running to first base. But none of the injuries came as a shock because all three had been oft-injured in the past. That was part, but not all, of why manager Pedro Grifol was fired in his second season Aug. 8, with bench coach Charlie Montoyo, third base coach Eddie Rodriguez and assistant hitting coach Mike Tosar.
The Sox were at 28-89 when Grifol got canned and coach Grady Sizemore couldn’t do much better, finishing the season as interim manager, going 13-32.
Maybe Will Venable can. He was named the Sox’ sixth manager, including two interims, in six years on Oct. 31.
The Sox drew an average of 17,932 fans at Guaranteed Rate Field (which will have a new name – Rate Field), the fourth worst in the majors ahead of Oakland, Tampa Bay and Miami and half of what the Cubs drew on the North Side. Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf, under siege from fans who wore bags over their heads, chanted “sell the team” and cheered for the team to lose on the brink of the record 121 losses, released a statement on Sept. 11 saying, “Everyone in this organization is extremely unhappy with the results of this season, that goes without saying. This year has been very painful for all, especially our fans.”
None of which made the fans, grousing through a second rebuild in eight seasons and sounding more apathetic with each defeat, feel any better.
Reinsdorf released another statement on Sept. 29, calling the season embarrassing and, saying, “By all measures, our on-field performance this season was a failure. As the leader of this organization, that is my ultimate responsibility. There are no excuses.”
The failure was reflected by a drop attendance by 4,359 per game, to the tune of the team’s lowest average since 1999 (16,656). In early February, renderings for a new ballpark and appealing surrounding area in the South Loop created some excitement, only to be quelled when the subject of taxpayer funding was broached.
A bad team got worse at the July 30 trade deadline, when Erick Fedde, Michael Kopech and Tommy Pham were shipped to the Cardinals and Dodgers in a three-team deal that saw the Sox get third baseman/outfielder Miguel Vargas and two prospects, LA’s No. 17 and 23 at the time. Vargas batted .104 with two homers and three doubles in 42 games. Fedde still led the Sox with seven wins and Kopech – who flourished with a 1.19 ERA for the Dodgers — led with nine saves.
Eloy Jimenez (Orioles), Paul DeJong (Royals) and Tanner Banks (Phillies) were also traded.
Most, but not everything about 2024 was bad. Left-hander Garrett Crochet unexpectedly became the ninth pitcher to make his first major league start on Opening Day and first Sox since Roy Patterson in 1901. He lost the opener 1-0 to the Tigers and eventual Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal, made the All-Star team and ranked fourth in the AL with 209 strikeouts and first with 12.88 strikeouts per nine innings. But Crochet won’t be around in 2025 after getting traded for four prospects from the Red Sox in a blockbuster trade in December.
Jonathan Cannon, a 2025 Opening Day starter candidate, pitched 124 1/3 innings, the most by Sox Rookie since Carlos Rodon’s 139 1/3 in 2015. Cannon ranked among AL rookies leaders in fewest walks per nine innings, double plays, innings and quality starts.
Cannon stopped the 21-game losing streak at Oakland and a 12-game streak at Boston with wins and had a three-inning save against the Red Sox to halt a 14-game skid.
Meanwhile, righty Chris Flexen couldn’t do anything to prevent a loss on days he pitched. The Sox lost 20 consecutive games in which Flexen started, the longest team streak by a pitcher in MLB history.
Flexen (3-15, 4.95 ERA) pitched a team-high 160 innings but not before going 0-12 with a 5.42 ERA over 24 games (23 starts) from May 14 to Sept. 21.
Davis Martin returned from Tommy John surgery and was 0-5 and winless in 10 starts despite allowing three runs or less seven times. He posted a 4.32 ERA and has a starter’s spot waiting for him in spring training.
Outfielder Andrew Benintendi batted .263/.328/.502 with 13 homers and 38 RBI after the All-Star break after slashing .201/.258/.311 in his first 75 games. His three walk-off hits were the most by a Sox since Scott Podsednik in 2009.
Catcher Korey Lee made his first Opening Day roster and he ranked second in arm strength (84.7 mph) and pop time to second (1.85) and he batted .293/.337/.457 in his first 33 games. But he batted .182/.213/.312 in his final 92 games.
Naperville product Nicky Lopez was the Sox’ 12th Opening Day starter at second base in 12 seasons, and with just 72 starts at the position was a Gold Glove finalist.
First baseman Andrew Vaughn led the Sox in games (149), at-bats (570), hits (140), doubles (30), RBI (70), runs (55), extra-base hits (50) and total bases (.229).
The Moncada era ended with another injury saddled season – an adductor strain limiting him to 12 games — and with Moncada riding the bench after he returned from the IL on Sept 16. That clearly signaled the Sox, who were not picking up his $25 million option for 2025, were clearly done with the third baseman who is now a free agent. Acquired in the 2016 rebuild blockbuster trade for Chris Sale, the then No. 1 prospect in baseball had only one good season, 2019.
Robert’s right hip flexor strain limited him to 100 games in his worst season. A 2023 All-Star, he found himself churning through the trade rumor mill. He batted .224/.278/.379 with 14 homers. With 23 stolen bases, he was the first Sox to steal 20 in back to back seasons since Alexei Ramirez (2012-14).