FORT MYERS, Fla. — Team USA general manager Joe Torre contacted Craig Kimbrel in mid December when he was putting together a roster for the World Baseball Classic.

The Red Sox closer was flattered to receive the call and equally intrigued. He appeared in four games in the 2013 WBC and counts that as one of the most rewarding experiences of his career.

“At first you think that, absolutely, it sounds great,’’ Kimbrel said Wednesday. “But the more I thought about it, it didn’t seem like the right thing to do.’’

Kimbrel did not pitch to the level he expected in his first season with the Red Sox. He allowed two or more earned runs in six games and was personally responsible for some painful losses.

“Some high highs and some low lows,’’ Kimbrel said. 

That prompted Kimbrel to turn down Torre’s invitation in favor of a complete spring training with the Red Sox. At 28, he sees the value of six weeks of preparation for the season.

“Things are at a different point now than 2013,’’ he said. “I was younger then. It takes me a little longer to get ready now. That’s part of getting older. It was more important to me to be here this spring.’’

Kimbrel pitched well for the Sox. Opponents hit .152 against him and the righthander converted 31 of 33 save chances. He also made the All-Star team for the fifth time in his career.

But the 30 walks, 4 hit batters, and 6 wild pitches in 53 innings were troubling.

The Red Sox coaches trace Kimbrel’s command issues back to his footwork on the mound.

“That comes with his alignment delivering the ball to home plate,’’ manager John Farrell said. “You would think that would be a relatively easy fix. Yet in the moment last year there was some tendency to maybe get a little bit side-to-side. The command was a little elusive for him.’’

Kimbrel bent too much at the waist as he started his delivery. That caused his right shoulder to “dive in’’ instead of staying toward the plate. The ball went down and away to righthanded hitters or up against lefthanders.

“I hit a stretch where I was having a hard time throwing strikes,’’ he said. “It led to some runs and some losses.

“That was last year. We’re sitting here in spring training the next year.’’

Kimbrel has a 2.96 earned run average over the last two seasons with a 1.068 WHIP. He has averaged 13.6 strikeouts per nine innings.

Most relief pitchers would take such statistics without pause. But Kimbrel had a 1.43 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, and 14.8 strikeouts per nine innings in his five seasons with the Atlanta Braves. He was a fire-breathing dragon then and is merely a terror now.

Kimbrel may not recapture the historic dominance he enjoyed with the Braves. But he remains one of the elite closers in the game.

A dose of familiarity could help. Kimbrel went through spring training with the Braves in 2015, then was traded to the San Diego Padres on the eve of the season. The Red Sox traded for him after the season, parting with a package of four prospects led by center fielder Manuel Margot.

Returning to the same team for a second consecutive year was welcomed.

“It’s nice,’’ said Kimbrel. “I know the roads; I know the area; I know where to go get dinner. Knowing most of the guys in the clubhouse is nice, too. It is more comfortable. It’s part of the game.’’

Kimbrel had Junichi Tazawa and Koji Uehara as his primary setup men last season. The Sox will use Tyler Thornburg, Joe Kelly, and Matt Barnes in those innings this season. Like Kimbrel, they have fastballs that regularly break 95 miles per hour.

“I think we can definitely be able to get into a rhythm,’’ said Kimbrel. “We don’t work with exactly the same stuff, but close to the same stuff. We’re all going to work off our fastball.

“Momentum-wise, we can get into a groove. Whether it’s 7-8-9, or 8-9, guys can go out there and do the job.

“It’s going to be good to watch how the guys go attack hitters.’’

Kimbrel believes this is the best pitching staff he has been a part of. He has eight games of postseason experience, but none beyond the Division Series. 

When the Cleveland Indians swept the Sox in the Division Series last season, there was a feeling of incredulity in the clubhouse after Game 3.

“We all thought we had more baseball left to play,’’ said Kimbrel. “This year, we need to take that next step.’’

Peter Abraham can be reached at pabraham@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @PeteAbe.