White Sox Fly Up Power Rankings as National Recognition Finally Builds
In this story:
The 2024 season feels like eons ago, with how the Chicago White Sox have played. Going from a 121-loss season to a playoff team in two years is almost unthinkable. But the White Sox could very well be on that trajectory.
It's not just the vibes in the dugout or the swagger of the players. The team, for the first time in years, is playing excellent baseball. They showed that in May, hitting more home runs than any team in baseball and going 18-10.
And, yes, they are having a lot fun while doing it!
It's not just White Sox fans that are starting to believe in this team's chances, though. The national media is coming around on a team they thought would be among the worst in the majors.
White Sox Climb National Power Rankings
It seems that every week, more of the media is believing that this team is for real. Will Leitch of MLB.com ranked the White Sox No. 12 in his latest power rankings, citing that the vibes haven't been this good on the southside in years.
And he's right. It's not just first baseman Munetaka Murakami or right-hander Mike Vasil with his magic wand, the whole team seems invested in their goal of winning.
Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report has the White Sox at No. 10, a seven-team jump from their last ranking. After sweeping the Detroit Tigers and winning the four-game series against the Minnesota Twins, Reuter is starting to believe how "vastly improved" this team is. More specifically, he called out how this young group has yet to lose more than three games in a row this season.
Tim Britton, Johnny Flores Jr., and Zack Meisel of The Athletic placed Chicago at No. 12, citing third baseman Miguel Vargas as a huge reason for their success. This is a nine-team jump from their last ranking. Vargas is currently behind only Kevin McGonigle as the fWAR leader among AL third basemen.
Matt Snyder of CBS Sports is the most bullish on the White Sox, placing them at No. 9, which was a five-team jump. This was written before yesterday's loss against the Minnesota Twins, for what it's worth. But would that 9-6 defeat really change much? Probably not.
While the team may have lost its star player in Murakami for at least a month, the vibes are still there, and the team is still playing great baseball. They have forced the national media to take them seriously.
Whatever happens the rest of the season, this team seems to have finally turned a corner and has exited a long and painful rebuild. White Sox fans should be thrilled with what is to come, whether it happens this season or in the near future.
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Matthew Singer is a contributor for White Sox on SI. Before joining SI in 2026, he worked for Heavy as an MLB contributor and Cubs on SI. Singer has a master's degree in sports journalism from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. He loves sports more than anything in the world.