The current over-under on White Sox wins in 2025, as set by DraftKings Sportsbook, is 53.5. According to the New York Post, citing as its source Sports Odds History, that is the lowest number of wins predicted for any team before the start of a season since 1990. The 2005 World Series-winning White Sox had 57 wins at the All-Star break.
It takes a rare confluence of factors to have such a historically bad season as the Sox had in 2024. Overmatched manager, a rash of injuries to top-line players, 56 blown leads, and not-ready-for-prime-time players at too many positions. This team is in full rebuild mode, but with a new manager, more big-league caliber players, promising kids in the pipeline and the sense that after a season of nothing but bad luck, at least a few things should break the White Sox way, more wins should follow.
One of the team’s newcomers this season, Mike Tauchman, a seven-year big-league veteran who spent the last two seasons with the Cubs, broke down winning baseball for our Chuck Garfien.
“You know I think it starts with belief in the clubhouse,’’ Tauchman said, “when you show up at the ballpark expecting to win. From an execution standpoint, winning lineups, it’s nine on one. Nine guys all against the pitcher.
“And for some guys, that’s knowing their matchup isn’t great that day so they’re just going to be a really tough out, or tough at-bat, whatever it may be. It’s situational hitting, it’s being selfless at the plate. On the defensive side, it’s making the routine plays. I think at this level, a lot of games are lost and not won because of—whether it’s physical or mental—mistakes.
“So taking care of the baseball, winning teams take care of the baseball. Being smart, aggressive baserunners. Obviously there’s the pitching side. It takes all facets. It takes buy-in.”