A glance to the back corner leads his focus to Trea Turner’s locker. Turner, 26, is established as the franchise shortstop. He is one of the team’s best players. But he is two years from free agency, and, should he not sign a long-term extension, Garcia could slide in. Shortstop is Garcia’s natural position. He often looks as if he could play it with his eyes closed.

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A handful of stalls over is Carter Kieboom, who, at 22, is considered Washington’s top prospect, right ahead of Garcia. Kieboom is vying to be the everyday third baseman this season. It is a new spot for him. But if he can’t cut it there and the Nationals need a backup plan, Garcia could begin taking reps.

Between Turner and Kieboom sits veteran Starlin Castro. The Nationals signed Castro to a two-year, $12 million deal this winter and expect him to be their regular second baseman. Their optimal infield is Castro at second, a rotation at first, Turner at shortstop and Kieboom at third. If that pans out and is consistent through 2021, it would line up Garcia to take over second once Castro departs.

When asked about that vision last month, Manager Dave Martinez knocked it aside. Then he thought some more about having Turner, Kieboom and Garcia on the same diamond. Then he relented to it, if only for a moment.

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“Now that you brought it up …” Martinez began before pausing. “Do I like the possibility? Yeah.”

The idea of a homegrown infield is a nod to the Nationals’ scouting and player development. They traded for Turner when he was 21 and in the San Diego Padres’ farm system They picked Kieboom in the first round of the 2016 draft. They signed Garcia for $1.3 million that summer, when he was only 15, and put him on the fast track.

Before last season, Garcia was an 18-year-old in his first major league spring training. Juan Soto, Washington’s 21-year-old superstar, didn’t move that quickly. Neither did outfielder Victor Robles. The Nationals have the benefit of not needing Garcia immediately — because they have Turner and Castro — but they like having him around the veterans. And he likes it, too.

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Garcia, a Dominican native, often hangs with Soto, Robles and Castro, among other Latin American players. He lived in Harrisburg, Pa., last season, far from home, and finished with a .257 average, .280 on-base percentage, 22 doubles and 86 strikeouts in 129 games. His offense was spotty. His defense, though, shined in the middle infield.

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He made 93 appearances at short and 38 at second and is again splitting time this spring. The Nationals prefer to develop shortstops, figuring it is then easier to transition players elsewhere. Garcia is the latest example. One member of the front office stated, definitively, that Garcia could “start at short or second tomorrow if we had a big league game.” Third would be tougher, the front-office member added, but he could see Garcia developing there if need be.

The flexibility is what makes him so attractive to the club moving forward. It also has scenarios running through his head.

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“I see myself possibly at second base, given what could play out in the major leagues,” Garcia said in Spanish, through a team interpreter. He waved his right hand through the air, in the direction of where Turner, Kieboom and Castro all sit. “But to be honest, I just am here to do what I’m told and play wherever.”

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“He’s going to be a good one,” Martinez said. “He’s mature for his age, and he’s getting physical. Every time I see him, I say: ‘Are you going to stop growing here soon?’ Because he just keeps getting bigger.”

It’s a weird time to be a young Dominican player in Washington. Soto was called up at 19 in 2018, became one of the best teenage hitters in history and, in the process, warped expectations. Now he is left to outdo himself. Robles, who will turn 23 in May, was named a Gold Glove finalist after an up-and-down rookie year. That still left a lot to be desired.

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So Garcia, the next in line, has a big task ahead. The Nationals don’t want him to be Soto or Robles. They want him to be the kid who tells Martinez he could thrive in the outfield, then nags the manager for a chance. They want him to be the hitter who recently expected a change-up, moved up six inches in the box to prepare for it, then slapped a change-up for a single. And they want him to remember what’s written on the wristbands dangling by his left hand.

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One is for his mother, another for his grandmother and a third for his entire family. A blue band reads “DISCIPLINE” in white block letters. A red bands reads “Why not me?” in smaller font.

“Because … um … why not me?” Garcia said in English when pressed for the significance. Then he smiled and shrugged.

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