But before he can wear those labels, like his new coats, Wong had to shed something.

Last season.

“It took a toll,” he said.

Wong, now 26, saw most of his offensive statistics slip back in 2016, the biggest and most telling of which was his number of at-bats. A regular who hit .262 with a .707 OPS in 613 plate appearances in 2015, Wong had only 361 at-bats this past season. His summer was interrupted by a demotion to Class AAA and a relegation to part-time play. When it was over he had a .240 average, half as many homers (11 down to five), and 23 RBIs to match a .682 OPS. Instead of the long flight to Hawaii to ruminate, he had the short drive to Creve Coeur. From there he wanted only to focus on the future and figuring out St. Louis.

The Wongs started exploring. New restaurants for dinner. Brunch every Sunday. He wants to take his siblings on an Anheuser-Busch brewery tour, and he’s fallen for Blues hockey, the only hockey he’s ever seen. There have been times when he’s out wandering in St. Louis and walks right by someone wearing his jersey or a T-shirt with his name on it. He smiles as he goes unrecognized.

“He has to be home in Hawaii, right?” Wong joked.