Chicago White Sox Make Notable Improvement In Key Offensive Category
Some say a walk is as good as a hit.
That's up for debate, but one thing is not. The White Sox are walking far more in 2025 than 2024.
Almost nothing went right last season, as the White Sox set an MLB modern era record with 121 losses. Their league-worst 395 walks – eight fewer than the 29th-place Marlins and 34 fewer than the Royals – certainly didn't help.
But with first-year manager Will Venable and a slew of new players, the White Sox have made significant strides in this category. A 6.7% walk rate that ranked 29th in MLB last season has risen to 9.2% in 2025, good for 10th overall and third in the American League. They've gone from last place in total walks a year ago to 14th overall and fourth in the AL.
A low walk rate wasn't just an issue last season. The White Sox ranked last in MLB in walks from 2022-24, 109 fewer than the next team. They were 30th during the 2023 and 2024 seasons and 29th in 2022.
The jump has been especially noticeable of late. Since May 23, the White Sox lead MLB with 77 walks. They'e drawn five or more walks in 19 games this season, including 10 times in the last 17 games.
So what's led to this change? The White Sox lineup does not have much power, ranking 28th in home runs and 30th in slugging percentage. So a patient approach that leads to walks is a route they must take in order to generate runs.
It's also due to a change in personnel. Seven of the team's top 10 walk leaders played for different clubs or were in the minor leagues last season. All seven players with the team's highest walk percentages did not play for the White Sox last season.
Mike Tauchman's return from injury on May 23 lines up exactly with when the White Sox began leading MLB in walks. His 17.8% walk rate is the highest of his career, and he's fifth in MLB with 14
The addition of Chase Meidroth is a big factor, as he's third on the team with 23 walks despite having 59 fewer plate appearances than Luis Robert Jr. (25 walks) and Miguel Vargas (25). Meidroth's 12.6% walk rate is in the 87th percentile in MLB. Though Robert hasn't hit the ball well this season, he's walking at the highest rate of his career, 10.4%, a jump from 6.6% last season.
Matt Thaiss was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays on May 27, but his 20.9% walk rate in 110 plate appearances with the White Sox is second to one of his replacements, Kyle Teel, who's walked five times in his first 17 major league plate appearances.
The White Sox have a long way to go to even reach the middle of MLB in many offensive categories. But a notable increase in walks can be taken as a shift in approach, thanks to several new players, and a sign of progress for the organization, however small.
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Jack Ankony is the beat writer for “Chicago White Sox on SI.” He has been with the Sports Illustrated network since 2022. He graduated from Indiana University's Media School with a degree in journalism in 2022. Follow Jack on Twitter @ankony_jack