GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Little things should make a difference for Luis Robert Jr. during the 2024 season.

And that attention to detail from the White Sox All-Star center fielder could mean greater trouble for the opposition than they faced during his breakout '23 campaign.

“He’s using cards in the outfield for positioning. He’s working on his leads, his breaks. Just the little stuff that’s going to take his game to another level. He has bought into being detailed and technically sound,” White Sox manager Pedro Grifol said. “I’m excited about that because you are looking at a guy with that type of talent that’s now going to be detailed.

“That’s special or the makings of something really, really special. I’m excited about that. That’s a really good thing. Everybody knows his talent. If I start talking about that, it would be Captain Obvious, right?”

Over a career-high 145 games in '23, marking the first time Robert Jr. appeared in over 100 in a season, he slashed .264/.315/.542 with a career best 38 home runs, 36 doubles, 90 runs scored and 80 RBIs. He picked up 20 stolen bases, putting him directly in line to become the first White Sox player to hit 30 homers and steal 30 bases in the same year.

Twelve of those 20 stolen bases came during 56 second-half games, with his somewhat cautious focus at the outset on staying healthy and playing in as many games as he could. An increase in games played pretty much equals an increase in success when playing at his elite talent level.

Attention to detail includes taking bigger leads on the basepaths, which could lead to that higher stolen base number.

“We’re working on a plan to be smarter when I have to steal a base,” said Robert Jr., through interpreter Billy Russo. “In the past I trusted my legs and didn’t pay attention to the leads. Now, we’re working on bigger leads, being more aware of the pitchers’ windup and all those little things.

“It’s going to work in my favor because I won’t have to put too much effort on my legs to steal a base. It’s going to be an advantage for me. That is the plan for the season, that’s what we’re going to work on and execute.”

Robert Jr. became the face of the White Sox franchise through four seasons of stellar on-field performances, highlighted by his 50 home runs over two rounds at the '23 Home Run Derby. The plethora of in-season moves and the continuation of the White Sox roster overhaul leading into this season pushed Robert Jr. even more so into the forefront.

This role is not necessarily craved by the 26-year-old, who is under contract through '25 with the White Sox holding $20 million team options with $2 million buyouts for '26 and '27. Robert Jr. doesn’t like talking about himself and had to figure out last season how to be proud of his individual excellence but get through with a 101-loss team.

“It was one of the most difficult things to deal with,” Robert Jr. said. “Sometimes after a game, you probably did good, but the team lost, so how do you balance that? You can feel good or happy when you do something good, but the team lost. That’s not the way it’s supposed to be. It was challenging.

“At the end of the day, we are here to win games. It doesn’t matter if you have a good game or not. If the team wins, that’s what matters. I think this year, we’re going to do a better job as a team collectively. And then things are going to be better.”

When asked what he was looking forward to most this season, Robert Jr. said, “Winning.” He’s optimistic about the chances for a club largely being overlooked in the American League Central, doing his part individually to be better than the high bar already in place.

“If everybody is doing what we’re supposed to do and we’re healthy, we’re going to win more games than people are expecting,” Robert Jr. said. “That has to be our mindset, our goal. If that happens it’s going to be a very enjoyable season for all of us.

“We have several players that are hungry. They came to camp hungry. That’s something that is going to show up during the season. Position players, pitchers. This is a combined desire to be better. That’s good.”