Minor League Monitor - AL East: Brett Lawrie, Matt Moore, Gary Sanchez and more...

Hi everybody, I've decided to try something new with the monitor and will attempt to do them by division. The idea is that I will be able to stay on top of more players and discuss where they stand within their organization. Let me know what you think of the new format.

Toronto Blue Jays

Eric Arce - LVL: ROK  POS: LF  DOB: 11/29/91

The Blue Jays drafted Arce in the 27th round in 2010 but didn't sign him. They kept their eyes on him and picked him up again in the 25th round of this year's draft. Arce is rewarding the Blue Jays for trying again with him by leading the Gulf Coast League with 9 home runs. His 1.057 OPS ranks third in the organization behind Jose Bautista and Brett Lawrie. Being a 5'9" power hitter is a difficult task but Arce will need to keep knocking them out because it's his only above average hitting tool at this point.

Brett Lawrie - LVL: AAA  POS: 3B  DOB: 01/18/90

The young Canadian recently ended a 12 game hitting streak in which he went 21-54 with 5 2B, 2 3B and 3 HR. In 68 games in AAA he is batting .352/.416/.666. He projects as a possible .280/25 HR/10-15 SB third baseman which is a rare thing. He has an All-Star bat and word about his glove at third has been promising.

Drew Hutchison - LVL: A+  POS: SP  DOB: 08/22/90

Hutchison has performed extremely well since being drafted in the 15th round in 2009. In 15 starts last year he had a 2.49 ERA between A- and A. This year between A and A+ he has a 2.91 ERA with 9.9 K/9, 2.3 BB/9 and just 0.2 HR/9. His most recent start was perhaps his best as he went 7 shutout innings, giving up 3 hits, striking out 11 and walking 1.

more after the jump...

Baltimore Orioles

Ryan Adams - LVL: AAA  POS: 2B  DOB: 04/21/87

Brian Roberts has blocked Adams' path to The Bigs but the 2006 second round pick continues to hit minor league pitching well. In 77 games this year he has a .288 AVG with 22 2B and 8 HR. He doesn't have enough power or speed to be a standout in fantasy but would be useful in the AVG category if given everyday at bats. For now he will keep hitting line drives in AAA.

Boston Red Sox

Xander Bogaerts - LVL: A  POS: SS  DOB: 10/01/92

The 18 year old from Aruba has a .228 AVG thanks to a high number of strikeouts and some bad BABIP luck. His bat still shows a lot of promise despite the low AVG as he has been impressive with a .249 ISO while walking in nearly 10% of his plate appearances. The Red Sox were aggressive in sending him to A ball but his 104 wOBA+ shows he has not been overmatched.

Brandon Jacobs - LVL: A  POS: LF  DOB: 12/08/90

Thanks to a .410 BABIP, Jacobs is hitting .325/.404/.530. The numbers will drop along with his BABIP but they show some promise with a .205 ISO, 9.6 BB/9 and a reasonable 23.2 K/9. He has also stolen 26 bases with only 7 failed attempts. He could turn into a 20/20 player if everything breaks right but don't be fooled by the mirage that is his .325 AVG. He has struck out more times than games played which will make it very difficult to maintain an AVG above .300.

New York Yankees

Dante Bichette - LVL: ROK  POS: 3B  DOB: 09/26/92

The son of the former Rockies slugger with the same name is off to an excellent start in his pro career. After 121 at bats with the GCL Yankees he is batting .355/.477/.562 and leads the league with 24 walks with only 23 strikeouts. Strong bloodlines and praise about his work ethic point to continued success.

Gary Sanchez - LVL: A  POS: C  DOB: 12/02/92

He is still having trouble making contact with 15 strikeouts in his last 11 games but he also has 3 home runs in that time. He leads the Charleston RiverDogs with 12 home runs.

Tampa Bay Rays

Christopher Archer - LVL: AA  POS: SP  DOB: 09/26/88

Archer has completely lost the strike zone with 26 walks in his past 6 starts. He walked more batters than he struck out in July but managed a 3.34 ERA thanks to a pair of 7 inning shutouts.

Tyler Bortnick - LVL: A+ POS: 2B  DOB: 07/03/87

Bortnick remains stuck in High-A despite having his best month in July in a season full of solid months. He is blocked by a pair of similarly aged prospects who have far less offensive upside. In 101 games he is hitting .301/.427/.425 with 35/2 SB/CS. The speedy second baseman has struck out just 47 times in 458 PA and is ready for a new challenge in the upper minors. A jump to AAA may be aggressive but it is worth seeing whether his plate discipline and stolen base success can translate against better pitching.

Matt Moore - LVL: AAA  POS: SP  DOB: 06/18/89

Moore is banging on the door to the major leagues but the Rays are drawing the blinds and pretending they're not home so they can delay his service clock. With the team falling out of the AL East race they have no need to bring him up and will likely wait until September before giving him a chance. It would be a big surprise if he doesn't at least see some time in the bullpen this year. In 3 AAA starts he has gone 18 innings with 29 strikeouts and just a single earned run. Odds are there will be a spot in the rotation opened for him in 2012 and he will be a hot commodity. I believe he will have immediate success in the majors and be the top rookie pitcher in fantasy in 2012.