The White Sox’ miserable start to the 2024 season is starting to look historically bad.
On Monday night, they lost 2-0 to the Kansas City Royals. It was the sixth time this season they were held scoreless, tying them with the 1907 Brooklyn Superbas for the most shutouts through the first 16 games of the season, according to Codify Baseball. They have been shut out once in the six series they have played this season.
The only teams in MLB history to be shut out 6 times in the first 16 games of a regular season:
1907 Brooklyn Superbass
Chicago White Sox 2024 pic.twitter.com/B33Myik7Sb– Codify (@CodifyBaseball) April 16, 2024
The loss dropped the Sox to 2-14. According to a Stathead search, they are one of 10 teams to start a season with this exact record. Only four teams after 1907 had a worse 16-game start: the 1988 Baltimore Orioles (0-16), the 2003 Detroit Tigers, the 1992 Kansas City Royals and the 1969 Cleveland Indians (all 1 -15). Two teams (the 1907 Superbas and the 1904 Senators) went 1-14-1.
The White Sox have scored just 34 runs this season, the fewest in baseball by far, and have the worst run differential at -53. They are tied with the 1907 St. Louis Cardinals for the 16th fewest runs scored through the first 16 games of a season, according to Stathead.
In 2021, the Sox toasted baseball with Tim Anderson hitting a home run into the corn at the Field of Dreams. They won their division for the first time since 2008, but it’s been a tough fall since then.
The Sox were expected to be one of the worst teams in baseball this season, following a 101-loss season in which president Jerry Reinsdorf fired both of his longtime front-office executives, Kenny Williams and Rick Hahn.
At last season’s press conference announcing Chris Getz’s promotion to general manager, Reinsdorf said, “We want to improve as quickly as possible.” If I had come out (of the Sox front office), it would have taken at least a year for anyone to evaluate the organization. I could have brought back Branch Rickey. It would have taken him a year to evaluate the organization.
Getz is no Rickey, but he continued by trying to fill holes on the cheap, emphasizing defense over offense for position players. And with injuries to Yoán Moncada, Eloy Jiménez and Luis Robert, the team’s lack of offensive punch is shocking. (The defense also had its problems.)
On Monday, the team had four hits, all singles, including two from Andrew Benintendi, who raised his average to .169. Jiménez was activated off the injured list and was hit with one on and two outs in the ninth, but he struck out to end the game.
But maybe help is on the way. After the game, AthleticismKen Rosenthal of ‘s confirmed that the team and Tommy Pham have agreed to a contract for the remainder of the season.
Tommy Pham’s minor league deal with the White Sox is up. He will earn $3 million in the majors with $1.5 million in incentives. Must be added to list by April 25, or may request release. will also receive $500,000 in the event of a trade. First of all: @juanctoribio.
-Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) April 16, 2024
The other good news Monday was that prospect Nick Nastrini (acquired in last year’s Dodgers fire sale) made his major league debut, pitching five innings. He allowed two runs, but as has been the case for most of the White Sox’s opponents, two runs were enough for Kansas City to win.
Required reading
(Photo: Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)