FORT MYERS, Fla. — Mitch Moreland is in one of those strange spots. For as much as we all know he’s not really replacing David Ortiz, he is, inasmuch as he is the new hitter in the Red Sox lineup.

“There’s no replacing him and what he was able to do here on the field and off the field and for the community,’’ Moreland said Friday in his Mississippi drawl. “What he was accomplishing in his last year was amazing. He was a great player.

“I know these guys will miss him. He was a fun guy to watch play. So what I need to do is just play my game. No, I can’t be David Ortiz, but I can be a better player than I was last season.’’

Moreland spent 10 years in the Texas organization and got rave reviews. He won a Gold Glove at first base last season but had an off year at the plate. The Red Sox wanted a lefthanded bat, a guy who could prevent runs in the field, and someone who would fit into the clubhouse at a reasonable cost. Moreland checked off all the boxes.

Manager John Farrell and infield coach Brian Butterfield had long admired Moreland from afar. They loved his defense. They thought his swing was suited for Fenway.

So the marriage came together quickly, and at a reasonable cost: $5.5 million for one year. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski didn’t want to tie up the first base position for a long time, given the organization’s affection for Sam Travis. So everything aligned.

“Just excited for the opportunity,’’ said Moreland. “This was an opportunity to play with a great team, a great group of guys, and a great staff. It’s a team with a great baseball legacy.

“The opportunity to be a part of that was exciting, so when they were so interested and aggressive, they shot to the top of my list.’’

The Rangers once had Chris Davis and Moreland. They gave up on Davis, trading him to Baltimore for Koji Uehara, and gave the first base job to Moreland, so Davis’s success has always seemed to put more pressure on Moreland. He tends to get down on himself when things go bad, which can make things worse.

He also has had problems with injuries, spending time on the disabled list every season from 2012-15. He had a left ankle problem in 2014 and left elbow problems in 2015, injuries that affected his swing.

Moreland was a two-way standout at Mississippi State. Some teams were looking to draft him as a closer, since he got his fastball up to 95 m.p.h. It’s that great arm that makes him very aggressive with throws in the infield.

Moreland said he was not a “natural’’ first baseman. Everything he accomplished, he had to work hard for. He made himself that good.

“Winning a Gold Glove is a big honor,’’ he said, “something I worked really hard to do. Even when I was struggling at the plate, my job was to play solid defense, take away hits, save errors, pick up my team.

“I needed to prove to the infielders and the pitchers that they could trust me. Maybe I could get them that extra step in the hole and not worry so much about a throw. The whole point is to make outs.’’

Little did he know that Farrell and Butterfield were such fans.

“Not until after talking to them,’’ Moreland said. “It was nice to know that they really wanted you and they went all out.’’

Moreland has great opposite-field power and needs to stay away from trying to pull the ball.

“I’m looking forward to having that Monster over there and getting rewarded for balls you hit to left,’’ he said.

Last season, Moreland hit .233 with 22 homers, 60 RBIs, and a .720 OPS. He hit better vs. lefties (.277, .799 OPS in 100 plate appearances) than righties (.221, .700 OPS), but for his career, his splits are better vs. righties.

Moreland said he was in a slump “pretty much the whole year. It’s not quite the year I wanted to have, with some ups and downs. I did struggle at first, and that led into it for the rest of the season. It was just a struggle.

“You’re going to have those hard-luck years. There’s really no excuses. I battled some things and went out there and played through some stuff. I’m going to continue to work hard every day and build on that year.’’

His affection for the Rangers started with Adrian Beltre, whom Moreland called an Ortiz-like figure on the team.

“Everything went through Adrian,’’ he said. “He’s the guy you went to for everything, whether it was baseball or life. He’s got so much experience, always had the right thing to say. He was definitely our leader in the clubhouse. I never played with David, but I’m guessing it was similar.’’

Beltre, who played one season in Boston (2010), hates it when teammates try to touch his head, but everyone had to attempt it.

“I did it a few times but I paid the price,’’ Moreland said with a laugh. “If you’re a teammate of his, you’ve got to do it because he’s a Hall of Famer.’’

Moreland’s time in Texas was enjoyable. He’ll miss a few things.

“Maybe it’s because I knew everybody,’’ he said. “It was comfortable for me. I was there 10 years, counting the minor leagues. Anytime you’re there that long, you’re going to miss the group. It was like a bunch of brothers over there. I made lifelong friends. That’ll be the biggest thing I’ll miss.

“But there’s a good group of guys in here, too. We’ve already been fishing and golfing and everything else. We can continue the trend. They’ve accepted me really well.’’

Moreland played for Bourne in the Cape Cod League in 2006-07, and went to some games at Fenway.

“I told people, if you’re not a Red Sox fan when you go to the game, you are when you leave,’’ he said.

He should hit well at Fenway, with the kind of opposite-field power Mike Easler used to have.

Moreland is no Ortiz replacement, but we’ll see how close he comes..

Nick Cafardo can be reached at cafardo@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @nickcafardo.