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Triple-A Buffalo is a uniquely challenging final step for top Blue Jays prospects, but Jordan Groshans is rolling.

April and May in Buffalo bring cold, grey days before the warm air and big crowds move in. Groshans is quick to recall a ball he hit in a recent series -- 107 mph with a 33-degree launch angle to center -- that died in the air and fell for an out, another learning experience for the 22-year-old.

The biggest difference between Double-A and Triple-A, though, is pitching. Double-A is where hitters find most organizations’ high-powered young arms, pumping high-90s heat with vicious sliders. Do they know where it’s going? Not always, but it gets there quickly.

In Triple-A, Groshans had battled through a valuable introduction to veteran arms who are there to beat young, over-eager hitters with slop.

“There’s a lot of 89-92 mph. They don’t all throw hard,” Groshans said, “but they have five different pitches that they’re throwing low in the zone and they keep it away. I’m just trying to adjust to that.”

Forget adjusting, Groshans has thrived. Entering the week, the Blue Jays’ No. 3 prospect was hitting .356 with an .859 OPS over 18 games after an oblique injury delayed his ’22 debut. Most impressive, though, is Groshans' 11 walks compared to just five strikeouts, the result of an adjustment in approach made necessary by these new looks from pitchers.

“It helps now,” said Groshans, who’s shed early frustrations. “It absolutely helped me change my approach, knowing that 2-0 is not necessarily the time to get up and gear up for a fastball. You might get a 2-0 changeup or a 2-0 slider. Adjusting to that has been big.”

Back in Spring Training, Groshans shared the mental shift he’d gone through over the past year. His expectations were so high that failure hit hard, even though his definition of “failure” was equal to some hitters’ definition of success. He made a conscious decision to be less hard on himself and open up to the simple enjoyment of baseball again.

It sounds simple, but it isn’t, especially for a highly-touted prospect who has always been “the guy” on any team he’s played on, stretching back through his younger years. This has let Groshans step back at times, though, and evaluate what he truly needs to make the next step. It’s not a one-size-fits-all approach.

“It’s in my routines and my prep work,” Groshans explained. “I used to do stuff just to do it, now I do it because I know it’s what I need to do. There’s activation stuff to get me locked in and subtle reminders, footwork, glove work. I’m a bigger guy, so I have to stay down. Stuff like that has been big, making that adjustment from short to third. It’s something I’m really encouraged by.”

Others are noticing. Bisons manager Casey Candaele has been encouraged by his work at third base, which he’s balancing alongside shortstop reps. Improving Groshans’ “fluid movement” is the next step, but he’s been working with teammates Josh Fuentes and Eric Stamets, just as he worked with Matt Chapman in camp.

“He’s playing well, he’s learning a lot as we go and gaining knowledge and experience,” Candaele said. “It’s been great. He’s done everything that we’ve asked and he wants to get better. He really is driven to become elite defensively. When you have those things, you can work with people. It makes it much easier.”

With any top prospect, there’s always a question of when. When will Groshans make that next step and impact the Blue Jays? It’s the same conversation that hangs over Gabriel Moreno, who is “like a brother” to Groshans after the two came up together and is now MLB Pipeline’s No. 4 prospect with Groshans ranking at 75.

Groshans is handling his side, though. The rest will take care of itself.

“This is my big leagues,” Groshans said. “Being the best teammate and player I can be here is all I can ask for. The next step, whenever that comes, it comes.”