VIERA, Fla. -- The Nationals had their first full-squad workout Friday, and outfielder Elijah Dukes looked like he was in regular-season form at the team's Spring Training complex. He put on a power display during batting practice that amazed general manager Jim Bowden.

When the ball hit Dukes' bat, it sounded like an eruption.

Boom.

"Oh mercy," said Bowden, who was watching batting practice with his fiancee, Joy Browning.

Bang.

"Uh," Bowden exclaimed numerous times when Dukes was hitting line drives all over the place.

Crack.

"That was a Dave Parker [hit]," the GM said.

Some of the balls that Dukes hit went a long way. Some of them landed near batting cages which were about 340 feet away from home plate.

Dukes, 23, said he was feeding off Wily Mo Pena and Lasting Milledge, who were also in his hitting group. They, too, were putting on power displays.

"Having guys like Lastings and Pena helped, too," Dukes said. "They are hitting that ball hard. It was like, 'All right, I can't be looking like the wimp of the group,' you know what I mean? So you have to come with your 'A' game. That's a good thing, too. We feed off each other. That's how it's going to be all year."

Dukes acknowledged he was a little nervous during batting practice because former Reds great Barry Larkin was to his left, dissecting Dukes' swing. The two worked together for several weeks during the offseason, with Larkin teaching Dukes the mental side of hitting.

Whenever Dukes hit groundballs and popups, there was Larkin telling Dukes he was too far out in front. Dukes would then get the message and then go back to his power display.

"It was kind of nerve-wracking at the same time," Dukes said. "You just got through hitting with [Larkin]. I know he is going to be on me and everything. I was like, 'I don't want to let him down.' But I felt good and it felt good to know I have made some strides with my swing by working with him during that short period of time. Getting a whole year, I know I can do some great things."

The Nationals need more than great things from Dukes just on the field. They need him to be a solid citizen off it. Dukes, who came from the Rays for left-hander Glenn Gibson last December, comes with some baggage, with off-field incidents including assault and battery arrests.

So far, Dukes is doing everything the Nationals have asked of him, from seeing a counselor on a daily basis to taking mandatory outfield practice.

"These guys have let me in with open arms," Dukes said. "That's a great feeling. These guys are not that much older, as you can see, and they still have that mature attitude about guys going through things. It's like, 'We know we are reaching out to you instead of staying clear of you.' That made me feel good about being here."

One person who is reaching out to Dukes is right-hander Garrett Mock, who is fighting for a spot in the rotation. The two talked to each other Friday morning for 30 minutes. Mock told him to call him any time if he needed help.

"I told him, I understand some things have happened, which have been unfortunate to deal with, but I don't want him to feel like he's alone here," Mock said. "It's like the first day of school. You don't know anybody. I told him, 'If you ever want to talk about baseball, if you want to go have lunch or dinner or go whack golf balls in the wrong direction, don't feel you are out here alone.'"

It may have seemed like the first day of class, but Dukes was ahead of it with his power display.