After a two-and-a-half-week stay in Fort Myers, Florida – with another return trip planned soon – here are four thoughts about what I saw and heard:

1) The atmosphere is different.

Scoff all you want about the talk of a “culture change,” and increasing the competition level, but there is a more lively dynamic at Fenway South this spring.

It can be seen in the clubhouse, with players checking the posted charts that tabulate dropped pitches or first-pitch strikes thrown. You can hear it during drills all over the complex, with players razzing some teammates and cheering on others. But mostly, it’s a vibe – there’s an unmistakeable feel of increased energy and investment.

Some of that may stem from the talk that began last September, when Alex Cora first broached the topic of upping competition and planning for more drills and work in JetBlue Park, the better to replicate the playing conditions of Fenway Park.

Some credit is due to Ramon Vazquez, the bench coach who is nominally in charge of planning out spring training and scheduling the work.

But most of it belongs to the players, who have embraced the task at hand.

Admittedly, some of this may be solely about pride. After two last-place finishes, Red Sox players are sick of losing and are willing to buy in to a new program, offered by a new regime (chief baseball officer, pitching coach, director of pitching).

Will this translate into tangible improvement on the field once the season begins? That’s tough to say. We’ll likely be left with the old chicken-and-egg argument if the team starts the year well, trying to determine if the better performance is the result of improved chemistry – or vice versa.

But for now, it’s encouraging to witness. And if nothing else, it’s a start.

2) The new pitching program has taken hold, too.

Obviously, it’s early. We’re only a week into Grapefruit League play, so labeling this an unqualified success is premature – to say the least.

But a handful of pitchers have gone out of their way to praise the program and the amount of detail it offers. Those positive reviews have come from returning young veterans like Garrett Whitlock and Kutter Crawford, as well as a veteran like Lucas Giolito.

Giolito has a lot of context, too, having been in five other organizations, including three last season alone. Giolito was impressed with the proposed program during some Zoom calls last winter when the Red Sox were recruiting him during free agency, and now that he’s spent a few weeks in camp, he’s even more supportive of what the Sox are trying to do.

“The communication level is extremely high,” Giolito said. “If you want to go in and look at all the skeletons and biomechanics and study analytics, there are guides for that. If you prefer not to, then maybe it’s communicated to (Andrew) Bailey and then he comes to us with whatever suggestion. So it really can be catered to every individual player because we’re all unique and different.”

Again, none of this means that the Red Sox are going to have one of the game’s elite pitching staffs. That will be dependent on execution and consistency. But what is clear is that the pitchers, both rookies and veterans, are being given the necessary data and instruction to help them compete at the highest level.

It will likely take a while for this to manifest itself at the major league level, as the real goal here is to improve the development of young pitchers throughout the minor league system. But if there’s some impact on the major league staff this season, that would be welcome, too.

3) Roman Anthony is mature well beyond his years.

Anthony is still just 19, but you would never know it. Less than two years removed from high school, the organization’s top outfield prospect comes across as remarkably poised and self-assured, without seeming at all cocky.

Over the weekend, Anthony was approached by a group of reporters after he made his major league spring training debut. He answered all the questions thoughtfully, made sure to credit teammates for making him feel comfortable, and said he hoped he would get more opportunities this spring.

Sometimes, we measure readiness and potential by what we witness on the field. Anthony profiles as an outfielder with plus-power and a strong hit tool, but we forget about makeup. I’ve had three conversations with him in the last two months, and each time, he’s managed to insert some variation of “when we win a World Series in Boston,” while looking ahead.

That sort of team-first approach and focus is rare, and doubly so for someone who is still a teenager.

4) A lot of opposite field for Rafael Devers

Devers has two homers in games this spring, and both have been hit out to left. But it’s not just a small sample size in games; Devers has consistently worked to stay back on pitches and swat them the other way, even in batting practice. Some of it may have to do with an adjustment with his hands, which are lower and better positioned to get to the ball quicker.

The best lefty hitters in recent Red Sox history – from Fred Lynn to Wade Boggs to Mo Vaughn to David Ortiz – have learned too use Fenway to their own advantage by hitting the ball to the opposite field.

In Devers’ case, two of his three best full seasons (2019 and 2022) with the Red Sox have come when he’s had spikes in balls hit the other way. If he can carry this approach over to the regular season, he could have his first 40-homer season.

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