Clay Buchholz

Boston Red Sox' starting pitcher Clay Buchholz delivers during the first inning of an exhibition spring training baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Monday, March 21, 2016, in Jupiter, Fla. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

(Brynn Anderson)

Neither Craig Kimbrel or Clay Buchholz knows much about advanced statistics. But that doesn't mean they're opposed to learning.

A combined 15 years of major-league experience, both pitchers, like many around the league, were reared on a "get the ball and throw it" method. Looking at too many numbers can become a distraction.

"WAR and independent fielding, I never knew those existed until a couple years ago," Buchholz said earlier this spring in Fort Myers, Fla. "I can see why guys would be looking a little deeper into the numbers and that aspect of it, but as far as myself, numbers take care of themselves when you're doing well."

"I've never been against trying to change," Kimbrel said. "This game is constantly changing so anytime I feel like I can get an advantage on working on something that I'm not picking up myself, my ears and eyes are open to try to take advantage."

As the game has evolved over the last decade, analytics, especially for pitchers, are becoming harder to ignore. Presenting numbers in a digestible way that players can translate on the field is the roadblock for many teams.

That's where Brian Bannister enters the picture for the Red Sox. Bannister, who first joined the team as a scout and analyst, was moved into a role as director of pitching analytics last September.

His work with Rich Hill at the end of last season was one of the main reasons Hill posted a 1.55 ERA in four starts after signing with Boston out of independent ball.

As a former major-league pitcher, Bannister's insight provides a different perspective for the club. He'll work closely with Red Sox pitching coach Carl Willis and minor-league pitching coordinator Ralph Truel to maximize the potential of the club's staff: "What can a certain pitcher adjust to make one pitch better? Why has his velocity dropped? What if he tried this arm angle?"

Maybe Bannister could have picked up earlier on the issues Joe Kelly and Rick Porcello faced last season.

It seems like a simple idea to have a point-person, who is removed from the day-to-day work on the field, evaluating the club's talent. But still, most teams do not have the resources to hire an evaluator to fill a role like Bannister's.

Bannister will also work with Red Sox scouts in analyzing pitchers for potential trades.

"I can envision asking him to look at a pitcher on our staff and get me some data or get me some feedback on what he's seeing as far as release point, spin rate, action of the pitches," Willis said last fall when the team announced Bannister's new role.

"Anytime you have anyone who knows the game and can break the game down and give you tendencies to look at, any opportunity you can get to give yourself an advantage is a good one," Kimbrel said. "There are many many ways to do that in this game."

Change in baseball is often met with skepticism. And analytics have certainly changed the game over the last decade.

The Red Sox are embracing it.

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