White Sox one of the five "look away, I'm hideous teams" at the 1/3rd mark of the season...based upon pre-season expectations

[caulfield12]

https://sports.yahoo.com/mlb-heat-check-who-has-exceeded-expectations-and-who-has-fallen-short-one-third-of-the-way-through-2023-192935737.html

 

Oakland Athletics: Yes, this might be the worst MLB team ever, but it was also designed to be something approximating that, as the A’s ownership group tries to pull off a cynical, cash-greased exit to Las Vegas. The pitching staff is all-time levels of bad, but the lineup has some bright spots — namely, Esteury Ruiz is stealing all the time, and Brent Rooker is bashing enough to bring back something nice at the trade deadline.

Cleveland Guardians: Last season’s feel-good, contact-hitting winners are this season’s reminders of why every other organization tries to build around more well-rounded offensive skill sets.

Chicago White Sox: At this point, success might mean getting enough resurgent June lines to make the trade deadline useful for the 2024 and 2025 White Sox teams.

San Diego Padres: The Padres, in fourth place at 25-29, are thrashing to keep their heads above water as Manny Machado tries to return from injury and break out of a skid. With Juan Soto and Fernando Tatis Jr. playing well, it has become perhaps more grimace-inducing to figure out where the solutions will come from for San Diego. The Padres have a lot of talent, but the drop-off on the roster is too steep.

St. Louis Cardinals: The tailspin has stabilized a bit since they reinstalled Willson Contreras as a catcher, but the early swerves in St. Louis have taken their season way, way off course. A watered-down division means they could still surge into playoff contention, but this is a team that — based on preseason talent evaluations — should be sailing in first. BAE doesn’t even know about the drama, but it recognizes this last-place team as a brutal disappointment.