The Chicago White Sox are notable for being one of the oldest teams in Major League Baseball (MLB). The team was formed as the Sioux City Cornhuskers in 1894, before changing names to the St. Paul Saints (1895-99) and Chicago White Stockings (1900-03). They settled on their present name from 1904 onwards. The team has gone on to to win three World Series Championships, six American League (AL) titles, two AL West Division titles and four AL Central Division titles. They have played out of Guaranteed Rate Field since 1991.
Looking back, the Chicago White Sox, unfortunately, also had to go through the dark phase of the “Black Sox Scandal” in their career. This was a game-fixing incident in which eight members of the team were accused and banned for life because of purposefully losing the 1919 World Series in exchange for money from a gambling organization which was reportedly led by Arnold Rothstein, one of the notable crime figures of the time. That being said, the team managed to overcome the debacle and has gone on to produce notable players like Jose Abreu, Dylan Cease, Luke Appling and Robin Ventura among others. Popularly called “The South Siders”, they play the “Crosstown Classic” with their NL rivals the Chicago Cubs, also known as “The North Siders”.
Reason for the Chicago White Sox not Getting the #1 MLB Pick
The major reason for the Chicago White Sox not getting the first overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft is because of the 2022-26 Collective Bargaining Assessment. Based on these agreements, a large market team cannot pick in the lottery for two consecutive years and a smaller market team which receives revenue money cannot pick in the lottery for three consecutive years as per the NY Times.
The Chicago White Sox are considered to be a large market team although they spend like a small market team as per Southside Showdown. This is the main reason for the team not being successful in getting the #1 overall pick in the MLB Draft. Moreover, the Chicago White Sox entered the 2023 MLB Draft lottery with the fourth-best odds of getting the #1 overall pick at 14.7% despite having a record of 61-101 in 2023, considered to be the fourth worst record of their career as per the MLB website. Unfortunately, they dropped down in the lottery and managed to get the #5th overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft. Since they already participated in the lottery in 2023, they are ineligible for the same in 2024. Moreover, they also cannot pick any higher than the #10th overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft.
How Many #1 Overall MLB Draft Picks does the Chicago White Sox have?
The Chicago White Sox have managed to get the #1 overall draft picks twice in their history as of 2024. These are the players-
| Years | Players |
| 1971 | Danny Goodwin (did not sign) |
| 1977 | Harold Baines |
FAQ's On White Sox
A. No, the Chicago White Sox cannot have a lottery pick in 2025.
A. The Chicago White Sox last became the World Series Champions in 2005.
A. The Cleveland Guardians has the number 1 pick in the 2024 MLB Draft.
A. The Chicago White Sox were originally known as the Sioux City Cornhuskers in 1894.
A. Eight members of the Chicago White Sox were banned because of their involvement in the “Black Sox Scandal in 1920.
