ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JULY 14: Pedro Grifol #5 of the Chicago White Sox looks on prior to a game against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on July 14, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Image Of Sport/Getty Images)
The timeline of the recent Chicago White Sox seasons looks like a movie trailer no one would want to watch:
- In 2017 and 2018, ESPN ranked the Chicago White Sox farm system third in baseball.
- In 2019, we saw those players slowly trickling in to make their debuts.
- The very next year, the Chicago White Sox were third in the league in home runs and made the playoffs for the first time since 2008.
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- In 2021, the Chicago White Sox were unanimously selected to win the AL Central by ESPN and selected by Bleacher Report to make the World Series. Their ALDS appearance gave fans a chance to watch home playoff baseball for the first time in more than a decade.
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- In 2022, the Chicago White Sox had a 85.5% chance to make the playoffs at the beginning of the season according to ESPN, but ended up going 81-81 instead, missing the playoffs and leaving fans shocked.
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- In 2023, the Chicago White Sox moved down to a 34% chance to make the playoffs according to ESPN. Many thought with a new manager in Pedro Grifol and a fresh start, that the team (who still had most of their key players), could win the division. Instead, we saw a 100-loss season in their window of contention, and a complete breakdown.
- And in 2024, the Chicago White Sox are having the worst start in franchise history and tied with two teams for the second-worst start in MLB history.
