Inside the special bond of MLB's youngest middle infield

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- The Nationals’ middle-infield duo, if all holds between now and Opening Day, will be the youngest in the Majors this year.

The average age of the primary middle-infield pair of Major League teams last season was 24 1/2 years old. Second baseman Luis García and shortstop CJ Abrams, who are expected to be the Nats’ go-to middle infielders this season, are both 22 years old.

García came up with the organization after he signed as a 16-year-old international free agent in 2016. He’s played in parts of the past three seasons with the Nats, hitting .275 with seven home runs over 93 games in 2022.

On Friday against the Mets at Clover Park, García hit a no-doubt homer off former National Max Scherzer as part of an eight-run third inning en route to an 11-6 Washington win. He finished the afternoon 2-for-3 with three RBIs, two runs scored and one walk.

That one walk excited both García and manager Dave Martinez. When the Nationals sent Abrams and García home for the winter, they gave them each a game plan. For Abrams, that meant putting on muscle weight and continuing to work on his bat. For García, it was working on agility and getting leaner. But they also wanted to see García focus more -- for him to come to Spring Training ready to wait for his pitch.

“I had a walk today, so that’s good,” García said. “I think it’s good for me, it’s more focus at the plate.”

“The thing for me was the walk,” Martinez said. “He worked a walk and that's -- for him, that's a challenge. And he was excited about that. But I told him, ‘If you don't chase, you can do those things.’”

Abrams joined the Nats as part of the prospect package from the Padres last year in the Juan Soto Trade Deadline blockbuster. He and García played in fewer than 35 games together before the season ended. They didn’t have a chance to forge the chemistry needed to be infield partners. Now, they do.

It helps that Abrams is working on learning Spanish, while García has been working to improve his English (though he is fairly fluent). Plus, they’re both good at just “being kids,” per Abrams.

While waiting for their turns on the backfields at the Nationals’ Spring Training facility Thursday, García tapped Abrams on the helmet with the knob of his bat. Then, Abrams did the same to García. That one instance is a tiny snapshot of a still-developing relationship, one that those around them are excited to watch grow.

“You can see their enthusiasm,” Martinez said. “The way they play together -- they pal around together now. It's been a lot of fun watching them build that relationship. I'm excited that our two young guys have two guys [Dominic Smith and Jeimer Candelario] that actually understand the game, [who have] been around that they can learn from.”

While Abrams and García may still be youthful, they’ll be flanked by veteran infielders Smith and Candelario, who have already begun to take the pair under their wings. Abrams and García bring energy to the infield, whereas Smith and Candelario bring a well-earned confidence and wisdom.

“Those two guys, they’re always together,” Candelario said. “Right now, they’ve started listening. I'm new on this team, but I want to get to them the right way. They’re two guys that, if you get good information and they take it, they can really take advantage of that. … They can be really dangerous, if they use that for them and for the team.”

That’s not to say all the kinks are out of either Abrams or García’s systems. These are still two young middle infielders, and mistakes are bound to happen. What defines them as players, though, is the ability to bounce back.

Friday’s hiccup was a throwing error García made in the bottom of the third that allowed the first batter to get on and the Mets to, subsequently, score two runs. He recognized his mistake -- not keeping his legs under him -- and made a diving snag on a grounder from Mark Canha, then took his time to get the throw right as he spun on his knee and tossed to first for the out.

“I said, ‘Stay down, you’ll be fine,’” Martinez said. “‘You’re going to get two or three more balls hit to you, so just stay down and get your legs [set]. You made a good play after that.’”