FORT MYERS, Fla. — Nope. No sir. There’s no pressure on Chili Davis, the new Boston Red Sox hitting coach. None at all.

The only issues Davis has to worry about are trying to get vastly underperforming 2014 hitters such as Allen Craig and Jackie Bradley Jr. up and running, integrating highly paid newcomers Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez, and working with the other holdovers who contributed to one of the weakest groups of batters in the league.

Davis, wisely, is not trying to solve every problem all at once after coming from the Oakland A’s in the offseason.

“I think I’m still trying to get to know some guys, to be honest with you, and I don’t think it’s quite there yet,” Davis said. “Just from experience, everyone’s different. Some guys, like Mookie Betts, it’s ‘Boom!’ He’s talking and he’s a smart kid and you love listening to him. He loves to learn. But others, it’s going to take time. Like, Coco Crisp in Oakland, it took me two months to get to know him. Once that relationship was built then we could have the conversation. It takes awhile sometimes. I’m always learning.”

Davis is putting in the long hours now in the batting cages and on the back fields, leaning in close to the action and keeping his eyes glued to the bodies as they twist and torque with the effort of each swing. The former All-Star outfielder/designated hitter seldom looks up to track the ball. He doesn’t have to; the swing is usually a giveaway.

“When they’re going good, my job is to watch and in my head, I’m taking a photograph of them,” he said. “I’m seeing everything in sync and when it goes out of sync, I’ll hopefully see it, but they’ll also come to me and tell me. They’re more important than I am. For me to understand what they’re going through, they’re the ones in the batter’s box, they’re more important than me walking up to them and telling them something. They’re going to be the ones feeling what’s going on.”

Davis describes himself as being in constant “listen mode.”

As much as he may want to offer a dozen suggestions to a hitter who looks out of sync, Davis understands that hitters are people first. Being heavy-handed can backfire in any walk of life, but at this professional level, it can create a real mess.

“I’m not here to teach anybody how to hit,” he said. “They’re in the big leagues, they’re big league players. I’m here to help try to keep them on that level of the playing field. I’m there to be their sounding board. If they need some answers, hopefully I’ll have some answers. But that’s going to come from me paying attention to all of them and understanding that they’re all different.”

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