Giolito headlines non-roster invitees on eve of spring training

Taking a closer look at the non-roster invitees to Nationals spring training offers an intriguing list of veterans. Some have pitched or hit well in the past, some have previous Nationals experience, and the list includes the organization's top prospect, who is close to tasting the major leagues for the first time.

The biggest name, by far, is baseball's top pitching prospect, right-hander Lucas Giolito. He will obviously be the biggest name to watch in spring training, to see how he fares against other teams' major league talent. Giolito has plus stuff and the Nationals want to see if the increased endurance training and late-inning mechanical adjustments they have made in his delivery can pay off at the highest level. Giolito will not have to wear the Tommy John kid gloves any more.

Giolito has it all. This will be his shot to prove once again how much he belongs. He likely won't break camp with the Nationals, but the opportunity to join the back end of the rotation sometime this season is there for the taking

The two players on the list with the most major league experience are right-hander Bronson Arroyo and outfielder Reed Johnson. Arroyo, 38, has played in 15 major league seasons and is coming back from Tommy John surgery. He has 145 wins and 369 starts in his career. Johnson, 39, missed 131 games last season due to injury. He has 13 major league seasons of experience, logging 119 games in 2012 and 113 in 2014.

Left-hander Sean Burnett returns for another shot with the Nationals. Burnett, 33, played in D.C. from 2009-2012 and has appeared in 16 games with Los Angeles Angels. He missed the 2015 campaign as he recovered from Tommy John surgery. The other southpaw on the non-roster invitees list is Aaron Laffey, who last season pitched for the Rockies.

Right-hander Nick Masset also has more than eight years of major league experience. The 33-year-old Masset started his career with Texas in 2006 and last season pitched for the Marlins and the Braves. He has pitched in 387 career games.

Infielder Brendan Ryan has eight-plus seasons of major league experience, playing the last three years in the Yankees organization. Ryan, 33, is considered a top-flight defender and has 635 major league starts at shortstop.

Players on the non-roster invitees list not named Giolito that have yet to play in the majors include right-handed pitchers Michael Brady, Paolo Espino, Wander Suero and Austin Voth, plus infielders Jason Martinson and Matt Skole.

Martinson and Skole have been in the organization for a few seasons now and both have shown flashes of power and potential. It would be great to see these two shine in spring training and prove how they can hang with the big boys.

Other veterans looking for a shot to impress include right-hander Erik Davis, catcher Jhonatan Solano, infielder Scott Sizemore, and outfielders Tony Campana, Chris Heisey and Logan Schafer. Right-hander Taylor Hill has done well within the Nationals minor league system and has appeared in nine games with one start with the big boys.