RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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As Sam Antonacci well knows, there are a whole lot of batters being hit by pitches in White Sox games this year. | (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
Chances are, if you’re even a casual White Sox fan, you share the incredible surprise at the team’s record. If you’re somewhat algorithm inclined, you may be aware that both FanGraphs and PECOTA now predict they’ll end the season with an 82-80 record, barely better than .500. But, since we’re talking about the AL Central, that’s enough to squeak by and win the division.
If you like a little more in the way of numbers, thanks to the barrage of shilling for sports books on every trivial event in order to promote problem gambling that the announcing staff does, you’re probably aware that the White Sox are eighth in the majors in runs scored per game, 4.76, and a hair better than average in runs allowed at 4.44.
Sixth in homers? You knew that. Only 22nd in batting average, but dead in the middle in on-base percentage and a skosh better than average in OPS? You knew all that.
The pitching staff is 11th worst in walks while the batters are average? The pitchers are 18th in strikeouts while batters have K’ed the sixth-most? Of course, you knew all that.
But, if we may, let us venture into territory seldom reviewed by anyone but stats addicts and retirees or the idle rich, who have lots of time on their hands, enough time to scroll to the right or down to a special category at Baseball-Reference.
First, the pitchers
ERA 4.11, 14th. check. FIP 4.20, 18th. Check.
Now for the stuff you may not have noticed:
White Sox pitchers are second in MLB in hitting batters, with 72, just one behind the Astros. And that’s even though they don’t get to add to the bruises on Sam Antonacci’s body, which has been whacked 15 times to lead the AL (though far behind Cardinal All-Star catcher/DH Iván Herrera, who has been plunked 25 times).
The White Sox lead the majors in balks with eight, though the lead is only one, so any team could take the crown. No individual pitcher has been charged with more than two, so it has been a team effort.
They also lead the majors in wild pitches, with 51. That’s just one more than the Cardinals, though double the MLB average. Of course, you have to give Sox catchers credit for failing to block pitches in the dirt that never should have gotten by, but are still blamed on the pitcher.
As for batted balls, Sox pitchers allow a very slightly worse-than-average 88.3 mph exit velocity (average is 88.1), and a ninth-worst hard-hit rate of 39.8%. They’re fifth-worst at getting ground balls, at 39%, largely because they surrender a ton of line drives, 25%, second-worst in the big leagues.
Given that line-drive rate, the staff has done well to be middling in ERA, helped by allowing a better-than-average 127 homers (average is 137) despite The Rate as home park.
And now the hitters
Peripheral stuff has helped the White Sox offense almost as much as all those dingers.
They hit very few line drives, by far the lowest liner rate in the majors. That should be a big negative, especially because they’re average in ground ball rate. But somehow despite being average in grounders, the Sox are the very best at staying out of double plays, by far, with 52 — barely half the number the mighty Dodgers have swatted into.
That, of course, leaves the White Sox toward the top in fly ball rate — ninth — which helps with the dinger data. Still, even the fly balls that stay in the park have fared well, be it good fortune or good location, with an overall BABIP of .285 — just shy of the MLB average of .289 (of course, that’s way down from before the Three True Outcomes era).
Bloop hits can continue indefinitely, right? Or at least for the rest of the 2026 season?
As for sense of direction, Sox batters pull the ball 34% of the time, tops in baseball, leaving them 26th to the opposite field and 29th up the middle. So much for liners up the middle being the ideal goal, no doubt inhibited by shifts these days.
As for some other stuff:
The Sox are tied for third at being hit by pitches, led by Antonacci. Combine that with hitting the second-most opponents makes for a whole lot of plunking going on.
They’re fifth in sacrifices. The four teams ahead of them are all very good, so maybe the overwrought hatred of bunting is a part of Moneyball that needs review, at least when Pedro Grifol isn’t managing.
And here’s one that may go a long way to explaining the team’s success — they’re 27th in leaving runners on base. Long balls do help.
As for baserunning, the Sox are 18th in stolen bases, with 68, but abysmal at stolen base success: Their 69% success rate (77 is the norm) bests only the Tigers. Still, the White Sox are slightly better than average — 44% to 42% — at taking the extra base.
And so …
There you have it, all the stuff you meant to look up but never got around to. Feel free to amaze your friends with your newfound knowledge.
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