South Side Column: The White Sox Actually Might Be Legit

What is happening on the Southside?! Our beloved White Sox might actually be good. Things had been painful since 2022 when a team that had World Series aspirations went .500 and then downhill ever since by losing 100 or more games in three straight seasons including setting a new single season loss record of 121 in 2024. However, should we be shocked? Personally, I think the signs of things being better in 2026 can be traced back to last season when the team seemingly clicked well in the second half and started playing competitively. With how the Pale Hose played in the second half in 2025, you could see the comradery between the team which is now more evident in 2026. The progress of the young talented core's development was also becoming more evident as they played so well in the second half, the only reason they weren't making a push was because there wasn't enough time left to prove it because the season ended.

Coming into this campaign, 72-75 wins seemed realistic when factoring the development of the young talent and signing some solid veteran players, but even then I saw the Sox possibly winning 80-82 games as the bullpen looked significantly better than the 2025 corps, but what is surprising is the offense. The Pale Hose has one of the best offenses in the league as they are absolutely crushing the ball. The big time acquisition Munetaka Murakami has been a revelation, but even during his time after getting injured, the Sox continue to slug and are still winning even without him

I was about to write an article about coming into June and discussing whether this will decide if the White Sox were for real or not considering their opponents in the month, but due to work related reasons, time wasn't on my side. Some of the teams the Pale Hose have faced or about to face are some of the best in the league such as the Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, and Cleveland Guardians. The Sox looked like a fun team especially the way they have been playing and how they have won, but this was a big test and that's why this column is being written. The results thus far at the point of writing this have been pretty great. Yes, the Phillies won the series, but the Pale Hose actually looked pretty competitive during it. Then taking the series against the Braves was massive considering Atlanta is the best team in the league right now. The way the Sox played the Braves seemed pretty convincing that this is a good ballclub. Then, against the Dodgers, the Pale Hose took two out of three. While the Yankees series was a bit disappointing, the Sox did salvage the last game of the series on a pinch hit grand slam from Andrew Benintendi. However, the team was just swept by the lowly Detroit Tigers in which they looked sluggish. The one series the Pale Hose should be looking forward to is the Guardians. Cleveland has been the class of the division the last few seasons and have been smart about it considering their payroll constraints, but they're pretty damn good at baseball too. Considering this is a division rival, it makes the matchup even bigger especially considering the Guardians have whipped the Sox around like a punching bag for the last couple of years. Personally, I think this will be the ultimate determination if the White Sox are actually for real.

I still have my doubts though. Despite the offense hitting as well as they are (despite how they looked against Detroit), the pitching has been frustrating as it's been inconsistent. At times it looks like the pitching is great and to then look less than dependable as they have cost the team plenty of wins. To me that is the single biggest factor in determining whether this Sox team is for real, but that is also the most simple fix. If the pitching becomes solid, then I will 100 percent say that the White Sox are for real. Do I think they'll be even better down the road? Absolutely, but the front office is going to have to make the right decisions.

To me, I personally believe the best additions the Sox can make are from internally. Getting Noah Schultz healthy, promoting Hagen Smith and Tanner McDougal, and even bringing some other youngsters back up like Rikuu Nishida and David Sandlin to make this team deeper. I think there are certain players to trade away at the deadline such as Benintendi, Erick Fedde, Randal Grichuk, and Anthony Kay, just to clear up some roster room no matter if they are performing well. There is a logjam and clearly there is some young and great talent knocking at the door looking to contribute, so it only makes sense to trade these veterans away. There is probably other moves to be made that can be make this team better, but I think the point is made. There's also going to be other moves made when players such as Murakami and Austin Hays come off the injured list, but the Sox have a gold mine here.

This should be a good talking point from here on out. Are the White Sox for real? I have my doubts, but every day I'm starting to become a believer. That being said, if the team does enough this month to win games against really good sides in the league, then I'll be sold. But even if they aren't for real, there is one thing for sure, the rebuild is progressing nicely and the Sox will be a really good team down the road. The fact the Pale Hose are this many games above .500 and in first place at this point in the season says a lot and puts the rest of the league on notice about them. One thing that isn't debatable is that the clubhouse chemistry and comradery are through the roof and the team will be really good soon down the line.