For a Nats team building for the future, the present starts to come into focus

Friday night’s game was the first of a Grapefruit League season that represents a fresh start, the first time these Nationals — whoever they are, whoever they will become — played in front of fans. Cheers chased Juan Soto to home plate for both of his plate appearances, one of which ended in a strikeout, the other in a walk. Now-familiar face Josh Bell received a similar treatment as he went 0 for 2 with an RBI. When “Baby Shark” played for Gerardo Parra, who will be fighting the odds for a roster spot this spring, nostalgia prevailed.

Kids in Max Scherzer jerseys ran around the back fields, chasing batting practice baseballs and autographs from players whose names they didn’t know.

Martinez, General Manager Mike Rizzo and trainer Paul Lessard stood close as Stephen Strasburg threw two innings of live batting practice, seemingly without incident — continuing a spring tradition of vigilance for the Nationals executives and their ace. Josiah Gray, one of the prizes of last year’s trade deadline sell-off, did the same and will start Saturday’s game against the Mets. His emergence feels as crucial to the growth of the next Nationals core as Strasburg’s was to the last.

That past-present dichotomy is the context in which this team is making its decisions these days. They signed slugger Nelson Cruz, for example, to help make their lineup more competitive now while tutoring young players who will outlast him here. They have otherwise avoided major free agent splurges, knowing full well that they are more than a player or two away from a run.

And that balance will apply to key positions, too. For example, Martinez said Friday that veteran Alcides Escobar is expected to get the bulk of the playing time at shortstop, signaling that even as the Nationals build for the future, they do not want to rush anyone — including 21-year-old Luis García — just because they can afford a wider margin for error.

“We’ve got to really understand that Luis is still very, very young,” Martinez said. “He’s learned a lot. He’s been learning. He’s been maturing. But he’s going to get an opportunity.”

The Nationals signed Escobar in a pinch last season only to watch him hit .288 in his first big league action since 2018. He is a known commodity, a steady defender and a professional hitter. García, who has hit .254 in parts of the past two seasons, has been a high-risk, high-reward defender in his short tenure. Martinez said García will play shortstop and second base this spring and that he would like the youngster to lessen the risk part before he plays in the majors every day.

“If he comes into spring training and limits the mental mistakes — throwing balls, footwork — we’ll see where he’s at,” Martinez said. “… But I want to make sure that Luis, when he’s in the big leagues, I don’t want him to platoon. I want him to play every day.”

In each of the past two seasons, the Nationals called up García out of necessity, hopeful that he had developed enough in the minors to warrant an everyday job. When he was in the minors last year, García hit .303 with 13 homers and a .970 on-base-plus-slugging percentage in 142 Class AAA at-bats. He improved his numbers against big league lefties enough to suggest he wouldn’t need to be in a platoon pairing to be useful offensively. But the Nationals are not willing to hand over a starting job just yet, even as they try to mold a core that will carry them into contention in the future.

“I tell him all the time, you’re going to play in the big leagues every day,” Martinez said. “But there’s a lot of little things that we want you to do, and he understands that.”

Martinez has options. Recently signed utility man Ehire Adrianza can play all over the infield, and Martinez said he plans to use him in a variety of spots. He may, however, need Adrianza to play third base more than he expected: Carter Kieboom was scratched from Friday’s lineup with right elbow soreness and will undergo an MRI exam Saturday. Martinez admitted the news worried him more than a little.

And Martinez also understands that shifting circumstances may mean García, who followed Escobar at shortstop Friday night, still could be a starter on Opening Day. Injuries happen. So, of course, does progress.

“If he’s doing well here, this could be a different conversation by the end of the spring. But it’s a short spring,” Martinez said. “So we want to make sure that we get him going and that when he’s here, he’s doing everything correctly.”

That shortened spring will make feeling out who is ready and who isn’t more difficult.

Josh Rogers started Friday night’s game almost exclusively because he happened to be the starter who had thrown the most in the weeks leading up to the end of the lockout last week. Martinez admitted he isn’t even sure who will be in the rotation, a strange reality for a team that spent nearly a decade without having to wonder about such things. So it goes for the Nationals, launched firmly into their spring training schedule, watching the present and the future collide, whether those involved are ready for them to do so.