Which players are you most looking forward to following this spring? Watching the Dodgers' Yoshinobu Yamamoto introduce himself to the Catcus League should be a lot of fun. And plenty of eyes will be on the game's No. 1 prospect, Jackson Holliday, as he pushes to be in the Orioles' Opening Day lineup.

Barring injury, we're going to see those young stars often throughout the 2024 season. For the players on this list, however, Spring Training is a make-or-break stage.

These 16 players -- many of whom are former All-Stars, top prospects and World Series champions -- are non-roster invitees fighting just to claim a roster spot. Does this spring indicate the possible end of their Major League road or the continuation of their career? That's what makes this group worth watching as well.

Miguel Sanó, 1B, Angels
There aren't many players who embody the term "slugger" more than Sanó. Listed at 6-foot-4 and 272 pounds, he consistently makes hard contact -- when he makes contact. Sanó produced 30-homer seasons with the Twins in 2019 and 2021, and he has hit two of the longest home runs of the Statcast era (since 2015). He also owns an eye-popping 36.4% career strikeout rate through 2,502 at-bats. Often dogged by injuries during his eight years in the Majors, Sanó wasn't with a club in 2023 but did receive 107 plate appearances with Estrellas Orientales in this year's Dominican Winter League. The 30-year-old bopped two homers, posted a .346 on-base percentage thanks to his 14 walks and struck out 30 times.

Carlos Carrasco, RHP, Guardians
Carrasco is back with Cleveland after a 12-year run from 2009-20 that saw him become a solid starter and a fan favorite. From 2014-20, the right-hander recorded a 129 ERA+ with 1,141 strikeouts through 1,004 innings. He helped lift the Guardians to five playoff appearances, and Guardians fans lifted him up during his battle with and triumphant return from leukemia in 2019. Carrasco, 36, was limited to 90 innings with the Mets last year due to a bone spur in his right elbow and a fractured right pinkie finger. But he had a 3.97 ERA over 152 frames during the previous season. He could provide valuable depth and experience to Cleveland's young staff.

Trey Mancini, 1B, Marlins
Mancini's own victory over cancer was one of the best stories of 2021. He clubbed 21 home runs that season and had a 116 OPS+ during his six years with the Orioles. Once a solid middle-of-the-order bat, Mancini's production has fallen significantly since being traded to Houston on Aug. 2, 2022. Through 449 plate appearances split between the Astros and Cubs since that date, he has put up a .210/.282/.348 slash line and a 28.3% K rate. He signed a two-year deal with Chicago last offseason but was released in August after producing a .635 OPS and only four dingers through 235 at-bats.

Ken Giles, RHP, Braves
The Braves have made a few noteworthy moves with their bullpen this offseason, highlighted by a trade for Aaron Bummer and re-signing Joe Jiménez. That relief corps could be even deeper if the 33-year-old Giles can turn back the clock a little bit. The hard-throwing right-hander had dominant seasons with the Phillies (2015), Astros (2017) and Blue Jays (2019). In that latter year, he posted a 31.7 K-BB rate, sixth-best in the Majors (min. 50 innings). But since the beginning of 2020, Giles has appeared in only nine MLB games and underwent Tommy John surgery near the end of that season. He sported a 9.50 ERA through 19 appearances (18 innings) for the Dodgers' Triple-A club last year.

Kevin Pillar, OF, White Sox
Even as he enters his age-35 campaign, Pillar can still provide value in the field and on the basepaths. He recorded three outs above average in 64 games as the Braves' left fielder last year and kept his sprint speed above the 70th percentile. His bat has never been too dynamic (career 87 OPS+; 74 OPS+ in 2023), but he did post his top hard-hit rate of the Statcast era last year (38.7%), and his 39.3% sweet-spot rate ranked 25th in the big leagues (min. 150 batted-ball events).

Drew Pomeranz, LHP, Angels
Injuries, which have commonly interrupted Pomeranz's 11-season career, have kept him out of the Major Leagues since 2021. He underwent left elbow flexor tendon surgery that year, and multiple setbacks since restricted the 35-year-old to only 10 1/3 frames in the Minors over the past two years. Yet if healthy, Pomeranz's high-spin, mid-90s fastball and big mid-80s curveball are an attractive duo for a team searching for bullpen help. A 2016 All-Star, Pomeranz signed a four-year deal with the Padres prior to the 2020 season and had a 1.62 ERA through 44 1/3 innings with San Diego before his arm broke down.

Eduardo Escobar, 3B, Blue Jays
Escobar joins a Blue Jays infield that looks pretty crowded even without free agent Matt Chapman. Escobar has spent most of his time in recent seasons at third base, although he hasn't graded out particularly well (minus-10 outs above average since the start of 2022). He could also chip in at second. At the plate, the 35-year-old switch-hitter struggled to a 67 OPS+ across 309 plate appearances with the Mets and Angels last year. But he was an All-Star in 2019 and bashed at least 20 home runs during each full season from 2017-22.

Josh Harrison, 2B, Reds
Speaking of multi-position players hoping to latch on with a team that's stacked with infielders, Harrison is probably still best used at second base, the spot where he spent much of his eight seasons with the Pirates. But the plurality of his 40 games with the Phillies last season came at third base. Harrison has suited up at every position other than catcher at least once since 2020. Yes, that's counting his five pitching appearances. A two-time All-Star for Pittsburgh, Harrison has been a part of seven organizations over the past five seasons, including two stints with the Phils. Last year, he slashed .204/.263/.291 before Philadelphia released him in August.

Naoyuki Uwasawa, RHP, Rays
Uwasawa is an outlier on this list as he has yet to appear in an MLB game. But after nearly a decade in Nippon Professional Baseball, the 30-year-old righty sounds determined to prove that he can succeed at this level. Uwasawa reached 160 innings in each of the past three seasons with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters and departed with a 3.19 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP over nine seasons. Although he doesn't overpower hitters with his six-pitch mix (7.3 K/9 rate in NPB), he does display plus control (2.8 BB/9 rate). The Rays have multiple injured starting pitchers and are adjusting to life without Tyler Glasnow. They need someone to eat innings. It appears Uwasawa -- who turned down guaranteed money from other clubs to sign with Tampa Bay -- can be that someone.

Danny Duffy, LHP, Rangers
The Rangers' rotation could also use a helping hand to fill the gaps left by its rehabbing arms. Duffy hasn't pitched in the Majors since July 2021 largely because of injuries, but after a successful showing recently in the Puerto Rican Winter League (15 2/3 innings, no earned runs, 19 K's), the 35-year-old southpaw said he feels "like an athlete again and not like a rehabber." Duffy spent much of his 11 years with the Royals as a starter, but all 28 of his appearances in the Rangers' system last year came out of the bullpen. It's worth noting that his four-seamer topped out at 93.5 mph during his four outings for Triple-A Round Rock. It averaged 93.7 mph in '21.

Jesse Winker, OF, Nationals
Winker was one of the best hitters in the league and a first-time All-Star in 2021. He had a .307/.395/.560 slash line with 24 homers in 109 games before an intercostal strain effectively ended his season in August. Since then, Winker has made four trips to the injured list and underwent knee and neck surgeries after the 2022 season. All these ailments took their toll, leading to a .214/.337/.318 slash line with 15 homers in 197 games over the past two years. Finally healthy, the 30-year-old could rebound in the Nationals' outfield or as a DH.

Evan White, 1B, Angels
The third Angels player on this list, White once appeared set to have a long career in the AL West. Just not for this team. A first-round Draft pick by the Mariners in 2017, he signed a six-year extension in 2019, eight months before making his Major League debut. Per MLB Pipeline, White was baseball's No. 56 prospect entering his 2020 rookie season. Although he won a Gold Glove that year, his offense left much to be desired as he batted .176 with a 41.6% strikeout rate in 54 games. The following season wasn't any better (.439 OPS in 104 plate appearances), and White has played in only 64 professional games over the past three seasons while undergoing multiple surgeries on his left hip and another to address a sports hernia. He has been traded twice this offseason -- from the Mariners to the Braves to the Angels -- but at just 27 years old, maybe there is still some untapped potential in his game.

Daniel Hudson, RHP, Dodgers
Hudson appeared in only three games with the Dodgers last season, sandwiched between his rehab from left knee surgery and suffering a right knee ligament strain. The team declined his option after the year but brought him back for what would be his fourth season in Los Angeles. He pitched 40 games for the club in 2018 -- one year before closing out the World Series for the Nationals -- and then had a fantastic '22 season that was cut short by an ACL tear. Before the injury, Hudson recorded a 2.22 ERA and a 25.8% K-BB rate over 24 1/3 innings. One thing to watch for Hudson this spring: His fastball averaged 95.4 mph during his brief time on the mound last year. It clocked in at 97 mph through the previous two seasons.

Jeter Downs, 2B, Yankees
A Jeter in the infield for the Yankees? But of course!

A former top prospect who was acquired by the Red Sox as part of the 2020 Mookie Betts trade, Downs hasn't been able to meet those once-high expectations. He owns a .182 average across 20 MLB games split between Boston and Washington over the past two years. The chances that the 25-year-old middle infielder can snag a roster spot out of camp appear slim; the Yankees already designated him for assignment last month before outrighting him to Triple-A. But quips regarding his birth name will undoubtedly continue for as long as he's in the organization.

Carl Edwards Jr., RHP, Cubs
The Guardians and Carrasco isn't the only player-team reunion we're eyeing this spring. Edwards broke into the bigs with the Cubs in 2015. A top-50 prospect at the time, he picked up key outs during the franchise's run to a curse-breaking title in 2016 and was among the top relievers in the game for the two following seasons (2.81 ERA, 33.3% K rate, .160 opponents' batting average). Injuries and poor command marred the next few years for Edwards as he bounced around the league. He landed with the Nationals in 2022 and has been serviceable since, chalking up a 3.07 ERA across 93 2/3 innings (89 appearances), although his walk rate jumped back up to 12% in '23.

Ronald Guzmán, LHP/1B, Orioles
Guzmán’s name appeared at the bottom of this article last year, too. His 2023 season practically ended before it started due to a left forearm strain in Spring Training. But he did make two pitching appearances in the Dominican Winter League and hasn't given up on his two-way dream. The Orioles are dealing with a couple of high-profile pitching injuries, so maybe there is a space for the 29-year-old lefty if everything breaks right for him.