While the White Sox sometimes sounded a little too unconcerned about the strikeout problems that eventually undermined the offense that led the American League in runs scored, the tone is a little more understandable if you approach it from a standpoint of "How much could you possibly expect us to fix in one season?"
The surprise addition of Munetaka Murakami on a two-year deal more or less pushed the White Sox toward the feast-or-famine lifestyle, but the idea of eating even some of the time had appeal. Over the course of their three consecutive 100-loss seasons, the Sox had been outhomered, and handily:
- 2023: 171 hit, 214 allowed
- 2024: 133 hit, 201 allowed
- 2025: 165 hit, 189 allowed
So when looking for places to get a handle on the team's run differential issues, home runs were the easiest place to start. As it played out, the White Sox regained control of that category with plenty of room to spare...
- 2026: 211 hit, 180 allowed
... and that allowed them to spring the biggest surprise in the American League with 84 wins and a wild card appearance, despite the warts.
From here, the White Sox need to figure out a more cohesive approach -- or a lineup that's more conducive to varying its plans of attack. If the White Sox organization shows no feeling for fine-tuning whenever the 2027 rolls around, then there's more cause for concern. Until then, enjoy a review of six months of brute force.
Shortest home run: Sam Antonacci, 57 feet on April 21
Sam Antonacci's first career homer should have been his first career double, whether because a ball person deflected it along the side wall in left field not knowing the play was live, or because Lourdes Gurriel could have fielded the ball instead of throwing his hands up and jogging away from the carom. But interference was never called, so Antonacci kept running, and because interference was never called, the play wasn't reviewable. Even if the call could've been challenged, perhaps it would've stood just because it was so fitting of the player.
Highest home run: Munetaka Murakami, 49 degrees on Sept. 5
Entering the season, Seby Zavala owned the two loftiest White Sox homers of the Statcast era, which dates back to 2015. Both registered at a launch angle of 46 degrees, with one hit in 2021, and the other in 2023. Murakami ended up topping him twice, even if he was required to win by two. He launched a 48-degree bomb off Drew Pomeranz in April, and then watched this 49-degree opposite-field fly off Taj Bradley drift into the White Sox bullpen courtesy of a helpful breeze.
Lowest over-the-fence home run: 19 degrees, Randal Grichuk on Aug. 21 and Colson Montgomery on Aug. 31
"Over-the-fence" is a necessary adjective since Antonacci's inside-the-parker registered at 1 whole American degree, but Grichuk hit the White Sox's first sub-20-degree homer off Sean Manaea, and then Montgomery scalded a Bennett Sousa fastball to match him 10 days later.
Fastest home run: Colson Montgomery, 115.4 mph on Aug. 31
It makes sense that the lowest homer would be the hardest-hit one. It also makes it funny that it's owned by the same guy who hit the...
Slowest home run: Colson Montgomery, 92.9 mph on April 4
For those who forgot what a fresh Colson Montgomery looks like, here he is mis-hitting a ball over the right field wall in the home-opening series against Toronto. Beyond the fact that it didn't qualify as a hard-hit ball, it just didn't sound right, either. Sure did look good, though.
No. 4(t): Colson Montgomery
Date: April 21 | Distance: 440 feet | Exit velocity: 107.2 mph | Launch angle: 32 degrees
The top five is actually a top six due to a three-way tie for fourth place, and the first of the entrants is a Montgomery homer that was the third consecutive dinger off Arizona starter Merrill Kelly, who'd given up homers to Murakami and Miguel Vargas after two quick outs. Murakami's blast measured 426 feet, and when he connected, he'd probably figured he at least had the longest homer of anybody who came to the plate with two outs in the second inning that night. He was mistaken.
No. 4(t): Colson Montgomery
Date: June 30 | Distance: 440 feet | Exit velocity: 109.1 mph | Launch angle: 29 degrees
Camden Yards is one of the best places to hit a majestic home run, at least for left-handed hitters. Montgomery reached Eutaw Street with this torching of Trey Gibson, and there are all sorts of signs of no-doubtedness, from Gibson's quick spin to some gutteral grunts from the crowd, to Montgomery's speed walk out of the box, to the lack of movement in the outfield -- at least in front of the wall. Because of all the room on the concourse, it's one of the parks where you can see the backs of fans' jerseys as well.
No. 4(t): Munetaka Murakami
Date: Aug. 18 | Distance: 440 feet | Exit velocity: 111.1 mph | Launch angle: 39 degrees
Of all of the Mun-shots from Murakami in 2026, this one was the most impressive -- not just because it measured the longest of Murakami's 35 homers, but because it took several replays for either broadcast to properly capture where it landed. CHSN's cameras were fooled a little less than Marquee's, but both centered on an area in the front half to middle of Wrigley Field's bleachers in left center, when both should've been targeting the scoreboard behind them.
No. 3: Colson Montgomery
Date: May 16 | Distance: 442 feet | Exit velocity: 112.4 mph | Launch angle: 33 degrees
"A missile that showed how much Rate Field's right field misses the fiberglass goose with regards to visual drama."
That's how I described the White Sox's third-longest homer from last season, which Montgomery also hit, and so I just left it here and deleted everything around it. This post feels like a paid promotion for maintaining the status quo at shortstop right now.
No. 2: Jarred Kelenic
Date: May 15 | Distance: 446 feet | Exit velocity: 106.8 mph | Launch angle: 29 degrees
Speaking of homers that cameras barely captured, here's Kelenic clearing the first tier of shrubbery behind center field. According to the stats on Ted's season-ending Sporcle, Kelenic was the 12th-most forgotten White Sox out of the 59 players who suited up for the 2026 team, so this impact wasn't lasting.
No. 1: Munetaka Murakami
Date: April 22 | Distance: 451 feet | Exit velocity: 110.2 mph | Launch angle: 29 degrees
Over the course of two days, Ryan Thompson gave up the White Sox's shortest homer of the season and their longest home run of the season. A day after Antonacci's inside-the-parker, Murakami threatened a scoreboard for the first time this season, but settled for a 451-foot bomb that landed just underneath Chase Field's massive video display. It was was Murakami's fifth straight game with a homer, which joined a crowded tie for the White Sox record, and although he couldn't advance the streak any further, at least this one put one thunderous cap on it.
