Boston’s David Ortiz jokes with Dustin Pedroia during a team workout yesterday in Anaheim, Calif. Tonight the Red Sox and Angels play Game One in the American League Division Series.

The Providence Journal / Gretchen Ertl

ANAHEIM, Calif. — David Ortiz looked around the Red Sox clubhouse yesterday afternoon — at the young guys, such as Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury and Jed Lowrie; at mainstays Kevin Youkilis and captain Jason Varitek; at hurting veterans Mike Lowell and J.D. Drew, both trying hard to get ready to play in the American League Division Series that begins tonight at the Big A — and then Big Papi said how different he felt about this team, compared to the way things were when he first came to Boston from the Twins in 2003.

“I didn’t really like the clubhouse when I first got here,” he said. “It seemed like nobody was on the same page. That was the reason the club wasn’t winning, even though they had a clubhouse full of All-Star players. Everybody had their own program. You don’t win like that. Everybody’s on the same page now.”

Which means Ortiz and the Sox have turned the page on Manny Ramirez — one of the best hitters in the game, and a lock to be a Hall of Famer, but also a disruptive element in the clubhouse before being dealt to the Dodgers just before the trading deadline.

“Manny’s situation was pretty obvious,” said Ortiz, who remains one of Ramirez’s closest friends. “Both sides had to make a move. Manny had to go.”

With Ramirez gone, however, the Sox lacked a truly fearsome hitter, one whose powerful presence in the cleanup spot made it treacherous for teams to try to pitch around Ortiz.

“No question,” said Big Papi, “not having Manny behind me has made it a different situation for [opposing] pitchers and managers. Thank goodness that ‘Youk’ has been getting it done.”

What Youkilis has done in Manny’s absence is lead the team in homers (29) and RBI (115). Ortiz is second in both categories, with 23 homers and 89 RBI, despite playing in only 109 games because of a painful wrist injury that has caused his batting average to drop to .264.

The extent to which the wrist has plagued Big Papi is starkly evident when you compare his numbers this year with the eye-popping statistics he racked up last season — a .332 average, 52 homers, and 117 RBI.

He destroyed the Angels in Boston’s three-game sweep in the ALDS — going 5-for-7, with two homers, and drawing six walks — then went on to hit .333 (5-for-15) in the World Series.

The difference, of course, is that he was healthy then, and also had Ramirez hitting behind him.

“I’m pretty sure things will be a little bit different this time,” said Ortiz, quickly adding that one, very important thing won’t change.

“I’m going to do what I usually do,” he said. “If I see good pitches, I’m going to hit them.”

He’s been feeling better, he said, the last three weeks.

“I’ve been feeling less pain,” he said, flashing his big, contagious smile.

It pained Ortiz not to be able to contribute this season as much as he did last year. But he knew he had to play through the pain, because his team needed him.

“When I injured my hand,” he said, “the first doctor told me I could have surgery. But then I wouldn’t have played again this season. So I had them put it in a cast, so I’d have a chance to play this year.

“I knew we’d probably be in the playoffs again, and I didn’t want to miss the season. I missed two months and, when I came back, I was still fighting through it, still having problems.”

Ortiz missed all of June, and most of July, after tearing a tendon in his left wrist on May 31 in Baltimore.

“I need my hand to swing the bat,” he said. “And I swing hard.”

But, especially after Ramirez was traded to the Dodgers, the Sox desperately needed Big Papi’s bat — even at less than full strength — in the lineup.

“We’ve had a lot of injuries,” he said. “J.D. Drew, Mike Lowell, Julio Lugo. We’d like to have all our players healthy for a series like this.”

In the old days, Red Sox players might have been more concerned about their own welfare than that of the team.

Not any more.

“When the young kids come into this clubhouse,” Ortiz said, “they see how the older players get ready to play the game. That’s contagious. That’s what happened to me when I first came here.”

jdonalds@projo.com