FORT MYERS, Fla. — When Josh Beckett arrived at spring training a week before the scheduled start for pitchers and catchers, Red Sox manager Terry Francona and pitching coach John Farrell knew immediately that their ace was a different guy.

The last time they saw Beckett pitch was in Game Six of the ALCS against the Tampa Bay Rays last October, when the right-hander was really hurting. He had strained his oblique on the last weekend of the regular season, and struggled in the postseason.

His teammates knew he was hurting, but he still nearly got them back to the World Series.

When Beckett arrived at the club’s Player Development Complex earlier this month, he was clearly in better shape and deemed himself healthy.

"He had so many momentum-breakers last year," said Francona. "It was one thing after another, and it was hard for him to ever mount that streak where he could get real hot and get [in] the groove. It would be nice to keep him out there for a bunch of starts. He’s important to us. There’s no getting around that. We want him to lead our staff. We told him that, and I think he’s at a point of his career where he relishes that and deserves it. He is important for us."

A year ago at this time, Beckett suffered a lower-back injury at the start of his first spring-training outing, which forced him to miss the team’s trip to Japan.

When he took the mound for the first time this spring, against Boston College Wednesday afternoon at City of Palms Park, he was thinking about the twinge he felt last February.

"You can’t go out there and not think about what happened last year," he said. "I definitely thought about it coming in, [wondering] if it was going to happen again. It was nice to get out of there and feel good."

Even though it was just an exhibition  game for both teams, Beckett easily got through his scheduled two innings. He tossed two perfect frames, with two strikeouts in 22 pitches (15 strikes), and said he felt good afterward.

"It’s nice to see him out there throwing free and easy," said Francona.

Beckett agreed.

"It was good," he said. "It was nice to get a little adrenaline . . . I got my work in. It doesn’t matter who you’re facing. You’re going to have that adrenaline — at least I do. Some people may go out there and not have that, but I’m trying to get those guys out."

His bullpen and live BP sessions so far this spring have been good enough to make Francona and Farrell believe Beckett has returned as the dominating pitcher he was in 2007.

After the Sox lost to the Rays in Game Seven of the ALCS, it took almost seven weeks for Beckett’s oblique to heal before he could begin throwing during the offseason. Even when he first picked up the ball in the winter, it still didn’t feel right. He immediately called the training staff and discussed the possibility of an MRI. Fortunately, after three or four days, it felt better, and he hasn’t had any setbacks since.

His plan this spring was to incorporate more changeups into his repertoire in order to get a feel for the pitch. Beckett was pleased that he was able to face some left-handed hitters Wednesday so he could work on that pitch a little more. Of his 22 pitches, eight were changeups.

"I think some of [Boston College’s] hitters probably thought it was his fastball, because it’s firm until he threw his fastball," said Francona.

Beckett explained his mindset with the changeup, a pitch he relied on more when he was in the National League with the Marlins. He believes if he can get a feel for it this spring,  he’ll be able to use it more during the regular season.

After his outing yesterday, he had a conversation with teammate David Ortiz about his health.

"It’s a lot easier to focus on what you’re trying to do when you’re not dealing with those little naggy things that end up being exterior distractions," Beckett said.

So far, it’s a normal spring for Beckett and the Red Sox.

"It’s nice to go through a spring training and just know what you’re going to do every day and not have to deal with sitting in the training room for three or four extra hours."

jmcdonal@projo.com