PORT ST. LUCIE — In the past, but not that long ago, Luis Robert Jr. was the oasis. The rose in a field of weeds. The promise in despair.

In 2023 — amid a 101-loss White Sox season — Robert was a single star emerging from a cloudy night. To appreciate the gap with his teammates, know that Robert amassed 5.1 Wins Above Replacement that season. Chicago had just eight other position players with a positive WAR; the next best was Jake Burger at 1.4, and the eight combined for 5.1.

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Robert was a solo act in an ensemble. The class he swam with was outside those walls, tied for 16th in the majors in WAR with Corbin Carroll and … Juan Soto.

You might have noticed, this season he is not going to be surrounded by nothingburgers. He is going to be in a lineup with Soto … and Francisco Lindor and Bo Bichette and Jorge Polanco.