Happy Thanksgiving White Sox fans. Although it’s been a difficult few years for the team, I’m truly thankful for the White Sox community and the team that brings us together. With three straight 100-loss seasons under their belt, the White Sox haven’t given us a ton to celebrate on the field of late. But a 19-win improvement from 2024 to 2025 and the arrival of many promising young players could be a sign that the tides are turning. As the offseason advances and the 2026 season approaches, here are a few encouraging trends that signify that the team could be headed in the right direction.
The White Sox are walking more
One of the biggest issues that’s plagued the White Sox offense in recent years is the lack of plate discipline and walks. In 2021, the last time the team made the playoffs, the White Sox were tied for fourth in baseball with 586 walks as a team. They’ve never come close to reaching that mark since. In fact, the team didn’t even hit 400 walks in a season from 2022-2024, finishing 29th in baseball in 2022 and dead last in both 2023 and 2024. The White Sox became known as a team of free-swingers who would get themselves out if you threw the ball out of the strike zone. The past couple of seasons, many of the White Sox prospect and player acquisitions have focused on players with a good eye and plus on-base skills. Additions like Edgar Quero, Kyle Teel, and Chase Meidroth all excel in the area of plate discipline. Even Luis Robert Jr, a notorious free-swinger, set a career high in walk rate and a career low in chase rate in 2025. The White Sox front office and hitting director Ryan Fuller have made pitch selection a priority with the new rebuild, and 2025 saw it begin to pay off. Though the White Sox weren’t near the 2021 number, this past season saw substantial improvement. The team walked 498 times, good for 18th in baseball. Further improvement in this area will be prioritized and it’s an encouraging sign for the future.
The White Sox are hitting more home runs
Among the many offensive categories that the 2024 White Sox finished dead last in was home runs. The 2024 team had a general lack of power, and that trend carried over into the start of 2025. Fortunately, things turned around in a big way in the second half of 2025. The White Sox finished the season ranked 23rd in home runs in baseball, a modest-but-improved total. However, 89 of the 165 home runs came after the All-Star break, the eighth most in baseball during that stretch. Much of this can be attributed to the historic power surge from rookie shortstop Colson Montgomery, but other White Sox players found their power stroke as well. The team will look to build on this mark as they head into the offseason. With interest in upgrading at first base and in the outfield, the team could add some power bats to the lineup. A full season of Colson Montgomery, Kyle Teel, and others could further improve the power numbers and put the White Sox back into the top half of the league.
The White Sox had 14 hits and 8 walks in today’s game.
— Noah Phalen (@Noahp245) May 24, 2025
The last time they had a game with at least 14 hits and 8 walks was August 27th, 2021 in a 17-13 win against the Cubs. Yasmani Grandal drove in 8 runs in that game.
The White Sox are hitting less ground balls
Another area that’s become a priority for improvement for the White Sox is the team’s launch angle and ground ball rate. In 2023, the White Sox had the second-highest ground-ball rate in baseball at over 45%, and the offense struggled mightily. The number dropped to 42.2% in 2024, an improvement, but still in the top half of the league. The team saw a massive improvement in 2025 after the hire of Ryan Fuller. Fuller’s Orioles teams were consistently among the most fly-ball heavy teams in baseball, and in his first year with the White Sox, the team ground-ball rate dropped to 39.1%, the fifth-lowest mark in the league. For what it’s worth, the Orioles ground-ball rate skyrocketed into the top ten in their first year without Fuller. It’s a clear priority of his and an area of focus for the organization, and the results have already shown. Being more selective about swings and improving launch angles is sure to increase home run production and make the White Sox offense much more lethal.
As you get ready for Thanksgiving dinner with your family and the conversation shifts to sports, remember that it’s not all bad in White Sox world. The recent failures have undoubtedly been frustrating and it’s easy to get discouraged and feel like nothing can go right. But despite the record, the 2025 White Sox showed some promising trends and the team looks well on its way to becoming a force in the AL Central.