I wanted to take a look at how the Nationals view Luis Garcia Jr. and whether he will be playing more first base in 2026
One interesting and underdiscussed storyline from this offseason is the future of Luis Garcia Jr. in DC. Despite some speculating that Garcia would be non-tendered, Paul Toboni decided to bring the 25 year old back into the fold. Now that he is back, the biggest question now is how he will be deployed.
Down the stretch, the Nationals flirted with the idea of moving Garcia to first base. He actually started at first in two of the final five games, the first two starts he has ever made at the position. Garcia was also taking practice reps at the position in the second half of the season.
That makes you think about how he will be used going forward. Garcia actually graded out well defensively in 2024, but that has been an exception to the rule so far in his career. Over the years, the defensive metrics and the eye test have not been kind to Garcia. This past season, he posted -7 outs above average at second base. The range limitations were clear to see in the 2025 season.
However, can we read too much into Garcia’s late season move with a new regime coming in? Well, Paul Toboni seems open to the idea. He wanted Garcia to get reps at first base in the Dominican Winter League to make him more versatile. Despite those comments, Garcia has only played second base in his 14 winter league games so far.
That could be due to the composition of his winter league team, but it is still curious. It makes me think that Garcia won’t be a full time first baseman. However, that idea of being versatile stands out to me. It gives a clue about what Toboni is looking for.
There is a good chance that positions will not be as set under this new regime. Garcia could be splitting time at first, second and DH depending on the matchup and who has the hot hand. The Nats started using platoons more the past year or two, but I think it could be something Toboni really leans into.
The Red Sox did a lot of platooning last season, with guys like Rob Refsnyder and Romy Gonzalez specializing against left handed pitching. Meanwhile, a player like Wilyer Abreu would mainly play against right handed pitching.
Garcia is a productive hitter against left handed pitching. Last season he hit .270 with a .763 OPS against righties. All 16 of his homers also came against right handed pitching. In 2024, it was even better, with Garcia hitting .288 with a .795 OPS against righties.
Speaking of his offensive profile, there are reasons to be optimistic despite taking a step back at the plate in 2025. When you look under the hood, Garcia’s process was still solid. In fact, his exit velocities, xwOBA, barrel rate, bat speed and hard hit rate all improved from 2024 to 2025.
Garcia was one of the unluckier hitters in all of baseball last year. His wOBA was 37 points lower than his xwOBA and his batting average was 32 points lower than his expected batting average. Sure, he chases more than you would like, but there is a good hitter in there still.
Given the importance of Garcia’s bat, the Nats will need to make room for him against left handed pitching. The question is whether that will be at first base or second base. We will get a clearer answer by the end of the offseason. The Nats have signed a couple first baseman to minor league deals, but Matt Mervis and Warming Bernabel are not stopping the Nats from signing a proven first baseman like Rhys Hoskins if they want to.
If the Nats are more comfortable with Garcia at first base, it would not surprise me if the Nats brought in somebody who could play second base. We already discussed the idea of signing Willi Castro. Bringing in someone like Luis Rengifo or Ramon Urias could make sense if they feel the need for second base options.
Given the fact they tendered Garcia, he is clearly going to play a role on the team. He is projected to make $7 million in arbitration, which is not insignificant, especially for this team. How Paul Toboni and Blake Butera deploy him will tell us a lot about some of their philosophies. I am excited to see all of this play out in Spring Training as battles for playing time play out.
Category: General Sports
