First it's April, then it's August
It's the cost of doing business
You were scared and overcautious
The whole breakfast was unpleasantYou just can't keep throwing up
And then cover it with sawdust
And expect us not to notice
And pretend it didn't happen-- The Hold Steady, "Unpleasant Breakfast"
Back in 2017, Rick Renteria's White Sox started the season hot before the talent shortage caused by the winter's rebuild trades eventually made itself known.
A 13-10 April gave way to an 11-18 May and an 11-16 June, but they were merely an ordinary sort of below-average until the second wave of player removals kicked them in the teeth. They traded José Quintana, Todd Frazier, Tommy Kahnle and David Robertson within five days of the start of the second half, and consequently, the came out of the All-Star break losing 13 of 14. They rallied to close out July with a pair of walk-off victories, but then August rolled around, and they lost the first six of that month.
I had this sequence in mind while watching the 2024 White Sox stagger out to a 6-24 record in their first month, with barely any improvement in May before further stagnation in June. If the White Sox were this bad before the deadline, what might happen when the White Sox deal away their remaining useful players? I could easily picture them dealing some combination of Garrett Crochet, Erick Fedde, Tommy Pham, Paul DeJong and whoever else, then losing 10 in a row.
What I failed to consider was the possibility of the White Sox losing 14 consecutive games before their first trade of consequence, yet somehow retaining the capacity to look even more depleted by the end of the month, but that's indeed what happened. The White Sox went 3-5 in their first eight games of July, then lost their next 17. They're still losing, in fact.
Those 2017 White Sox finished July with a 6-18 record, and I thought that was the most arduous calendar month of White Sox baseball I could remember.
It turns out that six wins would've been twice the success the 2024 White Sox experienced in July. This is their story.
WHITE SOX TEAM PERFORMANCE
- Record: 3-22
- Standings: Fifth, 40 GB
- Longest winning streak: 1, three times, obviously
- Longest losing streak: 17, July 10-31
- Largest margin of victory: 6, July 3
- Largest margin of defeat: 10, July 26
HITTING LEADERS
- Batting average: .268, Tommy Pham
- On-base percentage: .313, Luis Robert Jr.
- Slugging percentage: .400, Robert
- wRC+: 101, Robert
- Home runs: 3, Robert, Andrew Vaughn, Paul DeJong, Martín Maldonado
- RBI: 11, Robert
- Walks: 9, Robert and Nicky Lopez
- Strikeouts: 38, Robert
- Stolen bases: 12, Robert
- fWAR: 0.5, Robert
PITCHING LEADERS
- Wins: 2, Erick Fedde
- Losses: 3, Chris Flexen and Jonathan Cannon
- ERA: 2.53, Fedde
- Innings: 33⅓, Flexen
- Strikeouts: 20, Flexen
- Appearances: 11, Justin Anderson
- Relief innings: 11⅔, Jared Shuster
- fWAR: 0.4, Cannon and Garrett Crochet
COMING AND GOING
- White Sox debuts: Nick Senzel, Brooks Baldwin, Chuckie Robinson, Fraser Ellard, MIguel Vargas
- White Sox departures: Martín Maldonado, Erick Fedde, Tommy Pham, Michael Kopech, Tanner Banks, Paul DeJong, Eloy Jiménez
- Going up: Jordan Leasure, Jake Eder, Robinson, Steven Wilson, Sammy Peralta(x2), Davis Martin, Dominic Fletcher, Lenyn Sosa, Fraser Ellard
- Going down: Wilson, Eder, Sosa, Peralta, Danny Mendick
#SOXMORGUE
- Jordan Leasure: Right shoulder impingement
- Michael Soroka: Right shoulder strain
White Sox Honors
Most Valuable Player: Luis Robert Jr.
The funny thing about giving this nod to Robert is that his month was average at best, and below-average if you weigh situational contributions. In 12 games between the start of the second half and the end of the month, he struck out 25 times in 49 plate appearances. Nobody else approached average (Tommy Pham and Lenyn Sosa each boasted a 90 wRC+), much less played Robert's brand of defense. He also had more than half of the White Sox's 20 stolen bases for the month.
Least Valuable Player: Gavin Sheets
Sheets hit just .147/.171/.177 with two doubles, two walks and 21 strikeouts over 70 plate appearances. Throw in his lack of defensive utility, and FanGraphs had him at -0.9 WAR for the month alone.
Most Valuable Pitcher: Erick Fedde
If you record two-thirds of your team's victories for the month, you get this title by default. Fedde went 2-1 with a 2.53 ERA, and could've been an All-Star if the White Sox didn't kill all enthusiasm for the idea of multiple representatives by being on track for historical ineptitude.
Least Valuable Pitcher: John Brebbia
This normally goes to a member of the rotation, but Chris Flexen pitched like an ordinary fifth starter, not a pitcher whose team lost his last 15 outings, and the way Drew Thorpe's month ended doesn't entirely overwrite the encouraging way it started. So let's give it to Brebbia, just because he looked like a lock to be traded before he gave up runs in four of his five outings to start the second half, including two losses and two blown saves.
Fire Man: Michael Kopech
Every reliever took their turn having bad outings at the wrong time. Even Tanner Banks, whose body of work was worthy of being traded to the first-place Phillies at the deadline, gave up runs in four consecutive outings. Kopech gets the nod simply for the immaculate inning, which allowed me to put my Sloppy Thurston knowledge to use.
Gas Can: Brebbia
See above.
Bench Player: Martín Maldonado
Because the White Sox never fail to confuse, they finally decided to cut the cord on Maldonado right when he was playing his best ball of the season. He went 6-for-16 with three homers over six games. Moreover, the White Sox won two of the five games he started, and they haven't won since they designated him for assignment.
Stench Player: Nick Senzel
Is it unfair to slag a player who just arrived after the second half? Probably, but he went 3-for-19 with one double and no walks in seven games (six starts) after the White Sox picked him up to cross another name off the 2017 top prospects list, so it's uncanny the way he immediately started not helping.
Gold Glove: Luis Robert Jr.
Robert and Brooks Baldwin were the only above-average defenders according to Statcast, and Robert passed the eye test with one of the best catches you'll see all year, as you can watch below.
Hands of Stone: Paul DeJong
DeJong continued his streak of disappointing defense by committing four errors, and he added a new dimension by looking out of his element at third base as the White Sox attempted to showcase his utility. Still, his game held together well enough to be traded to Kansas City for an A-ball reliever. He finished his White Sox career convincingly below average by both Outs Above Average and Defensive Runs Saved.
Timeline
TADFA: Just before the White Sox are set to play the Marlins, Tim Anderson joins José Abreu in free agency after the Miami Marlins designate him for assignment. He hit .214/.237/.226 with just three doubles over 65 games, and both FanGraphs and Baseball-Reference.com had him as one of baseball's least valuable regulars at -1.3 WAR. After the pair finished first and seventh in 2020 AL MVP voting, neither one are expected to be seen in the majors again this year (July 2)
A strange trip: Michael Kopech catches a spike and throws a very wild pitch that puts the winning run on third, setting up the game-winning sacrifice fly in a loss to Cleveland. This would not be the first time it happens. (July 2)
Catch of the year: Luis Robert Jr. steals extra bases from David Fry with a spectacular diving play in right center. Statcast says it had a catch probability of 10 percent, so it was literally and figuratively a five-star effort. (July 3)
Michael Soroka can't win: Despite entering the game in the fifth inning with a one-run lead, Michael Soroka gives up a go-ahead two-run shot in relief of Garrett Crochet to fall to 0-9 on the season. (July 6)
The Burger that takes a bite out of you: Jake Burger's walk-off three-run shot off Michael Kopech caps off a White Sox collapse that featured a two-base sacrifice bunt, Tommy Pham briefly providing the illusion of a catch by trapping a ball against the wall, and another caught spike, this one resulting in a balk. (July 7)
He's an All-Star: Crochet gives the White Sox a credible All-Star, not a charity case, when he's named to the American League team for the first time in his career. (July 7)
Quite the turnaround: In his first outing since the collapse against the Marlins, Michael Kopech strikes out stride on nine pitches for the second immaculate inning in White Sox history, and the first since Sloppy Thurston 100 years ago. (July 10)
Quite the fall: Michael Soroka drops to 0-10 after a hustle double and a bloop single generate the decisive run in a 3-2 Minnesota win in the back end of a doubleheader. Little did we know the White Sox had already won their last game this month. (July 10)
A break for the broken: The White Sox set a record for the most losses in a first half when they head into the All-Star break with their 71st loss of the season. (July 14)
Hagen's the one at No. 5: The White Sox select Arkansas lefty Hagen Smith with the No. 5 overall pick in the first round of the MLB draft. (July 14)
An All-Star inning: Crochet represents himself and the White Sox just fine, pitching a scoreless fourth inning in the All-Star Game at Globe Life Park in Texas. (July 16)
Out with the old: Maldonado is designated for assignment as the White Sox begin overhauling their roster for the second half. (July 17)
At least we had fun: The White Sox lose the second of three games in Kansas City to open the second half, but the Sox Machine/From the 108 road trip goes off without a hitch, featuring a tour of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and Scott Carroll crashing our pregame party. (July 20)
Future White Sox, for better or worse: Jairo Iriarte and Garrett Schoenle combine to throw a no-hitter for the Birmingham Barons. The effort turns out to be necessary, because the Barons won 1-0 on a walk-off walk. (July 20)
That boy ain't right: Bobby Witt Jr. goes 9-for-11 in the three-game series against the White Sox, picking up three hits in every game. He homered, doubled, and added a walk for good measure. (July 21)
So close: Paul DeJong's solo homer puts the White Sox on top 3-2 in the top of the ninth, just three outs from ending a seven-game losing streak. Then John Brebbia gives up a game-tying two-out single to Jonah Heim on his 22nd pitch of the ninth inning, and Steven Wilson ends up losing the game on a Wyatt Langford walk-off single in the 10th. (July 22)
CAA complications: Garrett Crochet's representation throws a wrench in any trade talks by telling teams that they'd seek a contract extension before waiving any workload limits that would dictate his late-season and postseason usage. Crochet has no comment at the time, but it looms over the rest of the deadline period, and Chris Getz tells reporters it was "hurtful." (July 26)
Thorpedoed: A day after Dylan Cease threw a no-hitter for the San Diego Padres, Drew Thorpe fails to make it out of the first inning in a shelling by the Seattle Mariners. (July 26)
Not worth it: Mike Clevinger's season is officially over after 16 innings and a 6.75 ERA due to neck surgery, making a controversial reunion even more pointless. (July 27)
That's A.J. Pierzynski's music: A Bob Nightengale report says the fan favorite is emerging as a candidate to be the White Sox manager, although they still haven't decided to fire the current one. (July 28)
The dam breaks: Chris Getz finally starts dealing a day before the trade deadline by packaging Erick Fedde, Tommy Pham and Michael Kopech in the same three-team deal, only getting three players in return. (July 29)
Another record losing streak: For the second time this season, the White Sox set another franchise low by losing their 15th consecutive game. This one unravels in spectacular fashion, with the White Sox giving up three homers in the eighth inning, including a go-ahead grand slam by Bobby Witt Jr. (July 29)
Deadline day: The White Sox send Paul DeJong across the field to the Royals, Tanner Banks to the Phillies and, in a surprise, Eloy Jiménez to the Orioles before the 6 p.m. trade deadline arrives. (July 30)
Still winless: The Royals knock around Drew Thorpe and send the White Sox to a 17th consecutive loss to close out the month. It winds up being Thorpe's final outing before an IL placement for a flexor strain, because July 2024 of White Sox baseball is the month that keeps on giving. (July 31)
