NORTH PORT, Fla. -- Bobby Dalbec started what is an important Spring Training for him on Saturday afternoon by hitting two straight rockets. The first one was a hard double to right field. The second was another opposite-field bullet, this one clearing the wall for a two-run homer in a 6-6 tie between the Red Sox and Braves.

The knee-jerk reaction is that Dalbec has ripped the ball in Spring Trainings past and it hasn’t translated.

But a deeper look reveals that Dalbec spent the offseason revamping his swing mechanics, which is allowing him to hit the ball to the opposite field with authority.

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And that could be a key for the right-handed hitter to unlock the difficulties he had in his sophomore slump of a 2022 season.

“It’s just that something that I used to be very, very good at and haven’t been good at it the last couple of years,” Dalbec said. “So I spent this offseason just getting that pole-to-pole juice back without having to try too hard.

“My swing has way less effort and is way more fluid. That was a big thing I was focusing on.”

Interestingly, Dalbec’s improved approach was inspired by an all-time hitting legend, though not one who played in the Major Leagues.

“I studied a lot of Sadaharu Oh stuff and kind of read his book and tried to pick his brain … pick his words out and just find things that work for me,” said Dalbec.

The 82-year-old Oh belted 868 homers in Japan, so his theories on hitting can only help Dalbec.

The past two Spring Trainings, Dalbec was the top first baseman on Boston’s depth chart.

However, inconsistency in those first two seasons has moved him to the role of a multi-purpose backup at both corner infield spots and also shortstop.

If Dalbec can at last turn his plus-plus raw power into more contact, he should be able to get his share of at-bats for a manager in Alex Cora who loves to utilize his bench.

Cora has made note of Dalbec’s adjustments, which had been evident in live batting practice sessions all week before the 27-year-old got to showcase it in a Grapefruit League game on Saturday.

“I know everybody is going to say, ‘He rakes in Spring Training,’” Cora said. “But he went [to right field]. He’s not pull side. He stayed on pitches, and he went the other way. So that’s a good sign.”

After some introspection, Dalbec realized he was carrying too much in his mind during his at-bats.

“The last two years, I felt like I was in the cage when I was at home plate, which isn’t a good place to be,” Dalbec said. "I just kind of shed a lot of unnecessary thoughts, and now I’m just keeping it real simple.

“You can think about mechanical things in the cage and get away with it when you know what pitch is coming. I tried to take that out of my routine and be less mechanical. Not drilling things out and going through progressions but just trying to be athletic and loose and use my raw power. I don’t have to swing as hard -- just stay inside of it.”

As far as the depth chart goes, Dalbec isn’t even allowing himself to go there.

“I’m not really worried about that,” Dalbec said. “I’m just here to play and get better every day and help the team win. And If I’m going well, hopefully, there will be a spot open.