The Chicago White Sox are one of the most disappointing teams in Major League Baseball right now. Going into the year as World Series contenders, it now looks like they are going to miss the playoffs entirely which is just horrible.
Now, White Sox fans can’t even watch the great Albert Pujols story without getting annoyed. That is because there is one fact about it all that makes the White Sox look even worse as a franchise here in 2022.
For those who don’t know, Pujols is chasing down two milestones right now. He is chasing Alex Rodriguez for fourth on the all-time home runs list. He is also so close to hitting his 700th career long ball which is something that only Barry Bonds, Henry Aaron, and Babe Ruth have ever done.
On Monday night, Pujols hit his 694th career home run against the Cincinnati Reds in their 13-4 victory. It was a great game for him and his team as they inch closer to being the National League Central champions. He is now two away from A-Rod and six away from 700.
The Chicago White Sox could almost use a player like Albert Pujols right now.
It is one of the most exciting things going on in all of sports right now. Everybody seems to become a Pujols fan right when he steps into the box. There isn’t anyone that doesn’t want to see him hit 700 at this point.
On a smaller scale, and this is where White Sox fans getting annoyed come in, that was Pujols’s 15th home run of the 2022 season. He is a 42-year-old part-time player and those 15 home runs would lead the Chicago White Sox.
Jose Abreu and Andrew Vaughn are tied for the team lead at 14 apiece. Luis Robert trails them at 12 and Gavin Sheets is behind him at 10. It is a very bad and embarrassing stat that needs to be addressed.
The White Sox do not hit for power and it kind of feels like they do it on purpose. Their approach to hitting is not very modern and that needs to change as soon as possible. The fact that Pujols and his 15 home runs would lead the team is just a disgrace.
This is no disrespect to the future Hall of Famer, he is just an older player trying to reach a very difficult milestone in limited appearances. He ranks third on his own team because Paul Goldschmidt has 33 and Nolan Arenado has 27.
The White Sox are just pathetic at hitting. They need changes fast but they might have to wait until the end of the season at this point. Hopefully, regardless of this annoying stat, Pujols can give baseball the story it deserves and break 700.