The White Sox have lost 13 games in a row, tied for the longest losing streak in franchise history. The team has not experienced a losing streak this long in nearly a hundred years. If they lose again tonight, the 2024 squad will hold the dubious distinction of having the longest losing streak in the 120+ year history of the franchise. The 2024 team will be one of, if not the worst team in White Sox history. It is that bad.
Even during a historically terrible season, White Sox fans are as passionate as ever. The fanbase has united on social media to vote veteran catcher Martín Maldonado into this year’s All-Star Game. It is unclear who started the movement initially, but the #VoteMaldy is also gaining traction. National news outlets and fans of other teams have joined in trying to make it happen. Depending on how many people join in, it could very well happen.
Maldonado’s 2024 Season
Maldonado’s .076 batting average is low enough to pass a breathalyzer test. He has seven hits all season. His OPS+ is -29, and according to fWAR, he is the worst player in baseball. Maldonado is in the first percentile in sprint speed, and there is not a single stat in which he is even average. Maldonado might have one of the worst individual seasons in team history when it is all said and done. But that has not stopped White Sox fans from rallying behind him. The #VoteMaldy movement has united the White Sox fanbase to achieve a common goal: to prove that their voices will be heard.
Logical White Sox All-Star Candidates
The White Sox get one All-Star representative no matter what. Based on performance, Garrett Crochet should and likely will make the team. Erick Fedde is another candidate, as he has also had an excellent season. Despite having the misfortune of being on a terrible team, both of them have good enough stats to make the AL squad. But if the goal is to vote for a player representing his team, there is no better representative for the White Sox than Maldonado. His performance this season is a microcosm of the team as a whole.
White Sox Fans Coming Together Is Great To See
Voting for Maldonado is not the first instance of a fanbase rallying behind a player to make the All-Star team that was not deserving. Royals fans did the same in the mid-2010’s for mediocre players like Alcides Escobar. Other fanbases have created similar movements, too. But there has not been a movement from White Sox fans with this much traction in a long time.
Whether Maldonado gets voted in by the fans or not, it is nice to see White Sox fans unite in a miserable season. White Sox fans are passionate and not afraid to speak their minds. There have been multiple instances of fans sneaking signs into stadiums, both at home and on the road voicing their displeasure with the organization. Voting Maldonado into the All-Star Game would prove yet again that this fanbase cannot be silenced no matter how much ownership and the team put us down.
