Today's Fantasy Rx

Minnesota: Brian Buscher, 26, 3B-L
76/247 for .308/.391/.478 with 7 HR, 37 RBI, 37 R, 2/4 SB%,
and a 31:30 BB:K for AA New Britain(EL).

Selected from the Giants in the minor league phase of December's Rule 5 draft, Buscher effectively supplanted Matt Moses as the Twins' most promising upper-level third baseman and just received a promotion to Triple-A. With Nick Punto contributing relatively little in the majors, Buscher soon could receive a look in Minnesota, though his meager quantitative upside suggests he may not noticeably outperform Punto. Despite the upside suggested by his strong plate discipline, you probably should ignore Buscher unless he starts appearing regularly in Ron Gardenhire's lineups.

New York Yankees: Justin Christian, 27, OF-R
60/255 for .235/.283/.325 with 3 HR, 32 RBI, 25 R, 18/22 SB%,
and a 16:43 BB:K for AA Trenton(EL).

Though Trenton teammate Brett Gardner seemed more deserving of a promotion, the Yankees' other Double-A speedster now will head to the International League to assume the role he realistically earned a year ago by stealing 68 bases in 81 attempts in the Eastern League. Given the Yankees' refusal to jump position players from Double-A to the majors, Christian now appears first in line if either Kevin Thompson falters or the club tires of Melky Cabrera's inconsistency. Few players can match Christian stolen base upside, though unless he somehow improves at Triple-A, you need to wait until he begins seeing action in Yankee Stadium before grabbing him for your squad.

Oakland: Gregorio Petit, 22, 2B-R
82/268 for .306/.366/.403 with 4 HR, 31 RBI, 33 R, 9/12 SB%,
and a 25:44 BB:K for AA Midland(TL).

Promoted to AAA Sacramento over the weekend, Petit joins the queue of River Cats' middle infielders seeking auditions in Oakland. With the Athletics barely receiving replacement-level contributions from any infield position, Petit's improvement despite his move from the California League to Midland likely will warrant a look at some point, especially after Kevin Melillo failed to catch Bob Geren's eye. Unfortunately, since Petit offers little beyond a decent BA, ignore him unless trolling for potential 2008 keepers.

Seattle: Adam Jones, 21, OF-R
96/306 for .314/.385/.582 with 18 HR, 62 RBI, 5/10 SB%,
and a 27:76 BB:K for AAA Tacoma(PCL).

After reviewing Wladimir Balentien in our spring prospect article, looking at anyone other than Jones now just seems foolish. The 21-year-old continues to abuse PCL pitching and only needs an opening in the Mariners' outfield to secure a long-term role in the majors. Of course, that opportunity also could come with a move to another organization, but given the upside offered by Seattle's first round pick from 2003, Jones shouldn't be included in any trade proposals. Consider him a top target to acquire as soon as he joins the Mariners or even earlier if rebuilding owners want a young outfielder with plus power and five-tool upside.

Tampa Bay: Jason Pridie, 23, OF-L
81/279 for .290/.331/.441 with 4 HR, 27 RBI, 42 R, 14/21 SB%,
and a 14:45 BB:K for AA Montgomery(SL).

Pridie's second tour of the Southern League resulted in an almost 200-point increase in his OPS, suggesting the Twins possibly erred by returning him to the Rays as a Rule 5 pick. Now he heads to AAA Durham following Dustan Mohr's recent promotion to Tampa, which gives Pridie a rather intriguing opportunity to establish his credentials when Rays' management next needs injury filler in the outfield. I still suspect he won't hit positive fantasy value for a couple more years due to his weak plate discipline, suggesting you definitely should wait to grab him, however Pridie still merits monitoring since the increasing attrition rate of Tampa's youngsters could propel him into a significant role much sooner than expected.

Texas: John Mayberry, 23, OF-R
56/244 for .230/.314/.496 with 16 HR, 45 RBI, 47 R, 9/10 SB%,
and a 28:64 BB:K for A+ Bakersfield(Cal).

Veteran Rotohelp readers know that I very rarely review A-ball prospects during the year, but given both Mayberry's recent promotion to Double-A and my touting of his prospects in the California League prior to the season, examining him now seems inevitable. Yes, he produced a solid slugging percentage at Bakersfield, but considering he also managed a .479 mark in the Midwest League in 2006, an accomplishment accompanied by a .358 OBP, his 2007 performance to date appears lacking at best. He certainly doesn't deserve the opportunity in the Texas League at this time. Though his long-term future remains decently bright due to his obvious power potential, Mayberry's continued contact issues now force me to depart from my normal prospect recommendations to advise you deal or cut him before his inevitable struggles at AA Frisco sap an even greater percentage of his already-limited trade value.

Toronto: Robinzon Diaz, 23, C-R
95/301 for .316/.344/.409 with 3 HR, 30 RBI, 33 R, 5/5 SB%,
and an 11:16 BB:K for AA New Hampshire(EL).

Improving his performance at the plate upon his promotion to Double-A this spring may earn Diaz more organizational plaudits than Curtis Thigpen receives for his somewhat lackluster contributions for both AAA Syracuse and Toronto. Diaz can sustain a higher batting average due to his excellent contact rate, and though he can't match Thigpen's defense or plate discipline, the Jays seem surprisingly unconcerned regarding exactly what they get each year from the catcher position. Diaz could push onto the big league bench far faster than expected given his plodding progression up the minor league ladder to date, and teams that need help at catcher just might want to target him since the combination of his BA skills and the Rogers Centre should result in a little positive fantasy value.

We'll continue tomorrow with National League hitting prospects.

Today's Fantasy Rx: Of the prospects discussed above, only Jones stands a realistic chance of impacting any fantasy races this year. He deserves to be in the majors right now over placeholders like Jose Vidro and Jose Guillen, and if the Mariners realize their error by disposing of their mediocre veterans, Jones will receive the overdue opportunity to provide the extra spark necessary to key the club's unexpected post-season run.