2024 Chicago White Sox mid-season players report cards
A lot of players receiving F's.
The Sox are a little past the halfway point of the 2024 season, and there have not been a lot of positives.
They currently sit at 23-61, good for the worst record in the MLB. With more than 50% of the season done, it is time to give mid-season report cards to certain individuals.
To qualify, position players had to at least have played 40 games and pitchers have had to appear in at least 16 games. When grading, the lens is that of a White Sox fan, and how they contributed to the team, not in terms of how they compare to different players on other teams.
A majority of the players so far this season have received disappointing grades...
F: Eloy Jimenez, Martin Maldonado, Michael Soroka, Tim Hill, Andrew Benintendi, Michael Kopech, and Pedro Grifol
Eloy Jimenez has been a major disappointment in his career thus far.
It is unfortunate to say that it since is largely due to injury rather than ability, but that is the way the cookie crumbles. Hamstring after hamstring injury has plagued Eloy and his stats this season have been subpar. In 41 games, he has five home runs with a .637 OPS.
If you were to say that after his rookie year in 2019 where he hit 31 home runs, he would only play 100+ games in only one season, you would easily say that his White Sox tenure was a failure. Hopefully, he can resurrect his career somewhere else, as he is one of the names rumored to be traded at the deadline. What his value is? Time will tell.
There is not much to say about Maldonado, hard to defend playing someone consistently who has a batting average sub .100. Tim Hill was subpar with a 5.87 ERA in 27 appearances that he was designated for assignment
The idea of Michael Soroka was great, a buy-low candidate who had major upside before he was sidelined due to an Achilles injury in back-to-back seasons, but his results on the White Sox this season have been flat-out bad. Sporting a 5.48 ERA while being removed from the rotation can’t get you a high grade, but hopefully, he can bring it together and become a good reliever during the second half of the season.
Two major disappointments so far this season have been Andrew Benintendi and Michael Kopech.
Benintendi was given the most expensive contract in White Sox history and has responded with a .201 batting average and a .557 Ops, one of the worst in the league, so far in his second season with the team.
The Sox refuse to spend money in free agency, so calling him the worst contract in the league is a little harsh considering he’s only making $76 million, but in the lens of a Sox fan, it has been disastrous.
Kopech had some defenders when he struggled as a starter in 2023. When he was moved to the bullpen to begin the 2024 season, many fans thought it would be a good thing as Kopech could refocus and maybe become a dominant closer in the league. However, this backfired. Kopech has a 4.46 ERA, with a 5.2 BB/9, ultimately tanking his once-high trade value in a possible trade with a contender.
The saving grace for Kopech as a White Sox fan is concerned is that he could string a few good outings together, raising his trade value before being dealt to a contender at the trade deadline. It is unfortunate to give this grade to Kopech because he seems to care about his performance and his craft, but the last 1.5 seasons have been anything but spectacular.
There aren’t a lot of positives about Pedro Grifol, he has terrible post-game interviews, he doesn’t win, and he doesn’t bring the best out of his players.
Did Oscar Colas commit a crime? Is there a reason why he is in the minors while Corey Julks, who is hitting .229 is still on the MLB roster? Do they believe what they would get in return for Julks at the deadline, is worth more than Colas’s development? Objectively, the Pedro Grifol experience has been a cliff dive, the team is 84-162 with him at the helm and he continues to give mind-boggling post-game comments.
After the franchise's record 13th loss in a row, Grifol was interviewed saying "I can’t tell you how proud I am of these guys, they are playing good baseball.” This quote would be great if the Chicago White Sox were a travel baseball team or a high school team.
But how are fans supposed to react when the skipper is saying how proud he is of his million-dollar athletes when they lose 13 games in a row? Insulting.
D: Andrew Vaughn, Chris Flexen, John Brebbia, and Danny Mendick
Andrew Vaughn has been better in June, where he hit five home runs, and drove in 16 runs while sporting a .319 average and .875 OPS. However, considering he was the 3rd overall pick and has a WAR of -0.2 so far this season has been extremely disappointing.
One of the biggest questions regarding Vaughn is his power numbers, nine home runs with a sub .700 OPS is not what fans expected going into this season.
Chris Flexen and Brebbia have had their moments, but they have a 5.13 and 5.17 ERA respectively. Just not a great season for both guys, where the team has found some success giving veterans a chance to remake themselves with the team. For example, Johnny Cueto in 2022, Mike Clevinger last season, and Erick Fedde this season.
Danny Mendick is a utility player, so he doesn’t deserve an F, but a sub .200 batting average won’t get you higher than a D. Maybe it is time the Sox go in a different direction.
C: Gavin Sheets, Korey Lee, Jordan Leasure, and Nicky Lopez
These guys have been decent performers for the Sox this season and have played a little above expectation. Korey Lee has been a pleasant surprise for the Southsiders this season, highlighting his powerful arm and competence with the bat where he is hitting .234. He has proven to be the best catcher on the roster and has deservedly usurped Maldonado’s playing time.
Nicky Lopez is another player who realistically on a good team is a utility guy but on the Sox he has been respectable. He provides very little offense, so it is hard to give him a higher grade than this but he gives the team good defense and has his average hovering around .250, which is all you can ask for.
Gavin Sheets has the highest OPS on the team with a .749. Sheets being the best hitter on the team was not on the 2024 bingo card, but he has performed admirably this season. He still doesn’t instill much confidence on defense but a decent lefty bat in the lineup is always a plus.
Jordan Leasure was performing very well this season until June. Entering the month he had a 2.66 ERA, but after a few rough outings and 2 blown saves, his ERA ballooned to 4.08 and was sent down to the minors. Hopefully, he can find his way back to the major league roster soon.
B: Paul Dejong, Tommy Pham, Jared Shuster
Shuster was one of the pieces of the Aaron Bummer trade, and like Soroka, was a high-upside player. He was the 25th overall pick in 2020 and has been a pleasant surprise so far this season. He has a 3.18 ERA and is only 25. Hopefully, he can keep this up and be a mainstay in the bullpen once the Sox look to start competing in the future.
Paul Dejong and Tommy Pham have been great examples of what we wanted veterans to come in and do this season. Play well enough that they could raise their trade value and be dealt for prospects at the trade deadline.
Dejong is leading the team in home runs with 14 and is second on the team in OPS with .730. A team at the deadline who may need a utility player that could provide instant offense may offer the Sox a decent prospect at the trade deadline for Dejong.
Tommy Pham has also performed admirably for the Sox this year. He came onto the major league roster and was an instant spark plug. The fans always appreciate a guy who squares up with the opposing team’s catcher and shows signs of life even when the team is historically bad.
Hopefully, he could be sent to a contender and play in meaningful games come September and October.
A: Garret Crochet and Erick Fedde
Garret Crochet and Luis Robert are the building blocks of the Chicago White Sox and should not be traded at the deadline.
At the end of the day, a team needs studs and Crochet is one of them. His SO/9 is leading all major league baseball at 12.4 and his WHIP is good for sixth in the MLB at .943. The White Sox' most talented pitcher since Chris Sale, the fan base should hope Jerry Reinsdorf decides to pay Crochet and keep him around for a long time.
Erick Fedde has been one of the biggest surprises in all of baseball. He joined the White Sox this season after spending a year in Korea and winning the KBO MVP. His 3.23 ERA is good for 24th in the MLB and will likely be dealt to a contender at the trade deadline.
A great signing by Chris Getz, as Fedde will likely land the Sox a decent prospect from a contender looking to stockpile arms for the playoff race.
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