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As he neared the end of his impressive 13-year career in the big leagues, right-hander Dan Haren knew he didn't have the same raw stuff that he once did, famously embracing that with his @ithrow88 handle on Twitter.

To make up for the dip in velocity, Haren spent more time studying the data that was becoming more prevalent and giving added attention to game planning.

After retiring at the end of the 2015 season and taking the following year off, all that studying paid off when former teammate Zack Greinke, who had signed with the D-backs in 2016, gave him a call.

"He was coming off kind of a rough year in 2016," said Haren. "We had just been talking and he had this idea that I could come over here and try to bring what I know, try to help the starting staff -- him in particular -- but trying to help other pitchers understand game planning stuff."

Six seasons later, Greinke is long gone, but Haren is still teaming with run prevention coordinator Alex Cultice on game plans. 

"He adds a different perspective in terms of the way to look at a game plan, how to break down a batting order and he also brings 13 years of big league experience and the plethora of knowledge that comes with that," D-backs right-hander Zac Gallen said of Haren.

Haren is a rare mix of someone that can understand the analytics and number breakdowns, while also counting on the credibility of having pitched in the big leagues. That not only gets players' attention, but also allows him to understand what they're going through.

"It's just kind of reading data and trying to give it to a pitcher simplified so that they can understand it," Haren said. "And, you know, everybody's different in the amount of information they want -- whether it's Merrill [Kelly] or Gallen wanting a lot or Zach Davies wanting just a little bit."

It's also a matter of knowing how pitchers like it presented.

"I think Danny's a little bit more on the numbers side of it," Gallen said. "And I'd say I'm probably a little bit more on the heatmap side of it. I tend to do it visually. I'd say in general we're on the same page 95 percent of the time."

It isn't always about game planning either. During his recent struggles, veteran closer Mark Melancon has taken a deep dive into the numbers and pitch sequencing to see what the issues might be.

"He's just a great sounding board, a great resource," Melancon said. "Obviously, what he's done in the game is really helpful, but he really does understand the behind-the-scenes stuff, too, which was just nice."