Crawford, Banda among top prospect performers Wednesday

J.P. Crawford's transition to Triple-A hasn't been easy. The Phillies' top prospect is hitting .198 through 23 games, but he reminded everyone why he is so highly touted on Wednesday.
The No. 3 overall prospect can impact a game in several different ways and he put his immense talent on display, going 3-for-3 with two doubles in Lehigh Valley's 7-5 win over Gwinnett.
"I felt great today," Crawford told MiLB.com "I've kind of made some adjustments from getting called up and it finally felt good to have a good day at the plate. Me and my hitting coach [Sal Rende], we've been working on just staying short and trying to hit the gaps."

MILB Video - Title: Watch: Crawford rips double - Url: http://www.milb.com/r/video?content_id=819121683

Crawford drew a walk in his first at-bat, doubled to right in the third, doubled to center in the fourth and singled to center in the sixth.
The 21-year-old shortstop also stole his eighth base of the year and scored two runs.
The rest of the best performances from top prospects Wednesday
• No. 28 prospectBrett Phillips (Brewers' No. 2) hit his ninth homer of the season for Double-A Biloxi and went 3-for-4 with a trio of RBIs in an 8-4 loss to Jacksonville.

MILB Video - Title: Watch: Phillips hits three-run shot - Url: http://www.milb.com/r/video?content_id=819011383

• Josh Bell continues to rake for Triple-A Indianapolis as the Pirates' No. 3 prospect went 2-for-3 and homered for the second time in as many games. Bell, baseball's No. 44 prospect, has at least two hits in each of his last four contests, is hitting .316 and has nine homers.

MILB Video - Title: Watch: Bell goes yard - Url: http://www.milb.com/r/video?content_id=819803983

• Astros' No. 25 prospect Teoscar Hernandez found his power stroke, hitting a pair of homers and a double in a 3-for-4 performance in Double-A Corpus Christi's 7-3 win over Frisco. The power surge may have been a bit of a surprise, but the fact that Hernandez hit the ball hard shouldn't have been a shock as he has 10 hits in his last 19 at-bats.

MILB Video - Title: Watch: Hernandez homers - Url: http://www.milb.com/r/video?content_id=819700283

• Dillon Overton (Athletics' No. 10) didn't allow any earned runs once again for Triple-A Nashville. Overton did give up a pair of unearned runs as he scattered four hits over seven innings in a 16-3 win. The left-hander hasn't given up an earned run in his past two starts.
• Overton wasn't the only one who helped led Nashville to a win as Athletics' No. 7 prospect Chad Pinder went 3-for-4 with a homer, two RBIs and four runs scored. Pinder is hitting .287 and has recorded back-to-back three-hit games.

MILB Video - Title: Watch: Pinder goes deep - Url: http://www.milb.com/r/video?content_id=821230283

• Blue Jays' No. 12 prospect Ryan Borucki was in control for Class A Lansing, throwing 67 of his 97 pitches for strikes. The 22-year-old struck out nine, a career-high, and, for the first time all year, didn't issue a walk. Borucki allowed one run on three hits in six innings in a 10-1 win over Great Lakes.
• Jeimer Candelario's promotion to Triple-A hasn't slowed down his bat. After his 3-for-3 day with Iowa, the Cubs' No. 7 prospect is hitting .360 in seven games with Iowa. Candelario hit his first Triple-A homer Tuesday and has five hits in eight at-bats over the last two games.
• It's been a while since Anthony Banda (D-backs' No. 14) was hit hard. The lefty hasn't given up an earned run in any of his last three starts (he did give up an unearned run though), including eight scoreless frames Wednesday night. Banda also struck out nine and surrendered just a pair of hits in Double-A Mobile's 2-0 shutout of Pensacola.

MILB Video - Title: Watch: Banda notches K - Url: http://www.milb.com/r/video?content_id=819526383

• After hitting 11 homers in 73 games a season ago, Willie Calhoun's (Dodgers' No. 15) power has made the transition to Double-A. Calhoun hit his 12th homer of the year (in 63 games) in a 2-for-4, five-RBI performance in Tulsa's 10-3 win over Arkansas.

MILB Video - Title: Watch: Calhoun cracks homer - Url: http://www.milb.com/r/video?content_id=820324483

• J.T. Riddle (Marlins' No. 10) turned in his first four-hit game of the year for Double-A Jacksonville. The third baseman scored three runs and went 4-for-5 in an 8-4 win.
• Pirates' No. 11 prospect Kevin Newman is thriving in his first full professional season with Class A Advanced Bradenton, hitting .360 through 40 games. In his second game back from the disabled list, Newman went 4-for-4 with a homer and three runs scored, his second career four-hit game. Newman's seven total bases were a career-high.
"It's definitely nice to be back like this," Newman told MiLB.com. "I'm back to just kind of having the same approach as always, so it's nice to get those results back so quickly."
• Adam Frazier (Pirates' No. 27) raised his average to .342, the highest it's been all season, after going 4-for-5 with a stolen base and RBI in Triple-A Indianapolis' 10-6 win over Pawtucket.
• Rockies' No. 13 prospect Peter Lambert tied his career-high with six strikeouts and allowed just one hit for the second time this season. Lambert threw five scoreless innings in Class A Ashville's 5-2 win and has held opponents scoreless in two of his last three starts.
• Brooks Pounders (Royals' No. 28) was moved to the bullpen last month and it appears the transition is going well. The 25-year-old right-hander threw 3 2/3 scoreless innings to finish off Triple-A Omaha's 6-5 win over Oklahoma City in 12 innings. Pounders threw 31 of his 48 pitches for strikes and allowed just one hit, while striking out seven. Pounders hasn't given up a run in any of his last four appearances, a span of nine innings.
• Felix Jorge (Twins' No. 25) put together his longest start of the year for Class A Advanced Fort Myers, giving up one earned run in 7 2/3 innings in a 4-2 win over Lakeland. Such a dominant outing is nothing new for Jorge, who has a 1.59 ERA and has allowed one earned run or less in six of his 11 starts.
• Jordan Montgomery (Yankees' No. 19) strung together quite an outing for Double-A Trenton. The left-hander scattered five hits and one run in seven innings, marking the deepest he's pitched in a game for the Thunder. Montgomery also struck out 11, a career-high, and threw 69 of his 94 pitches for strikes.

MILB Video - Title: Watch: Montgomery strikes out batter - Url: http://www.milb.com/r/video?content_id=819103783