PHOENIX -- Much of the hype surrounding the Giants’ farm system tends to focus on its promising group of position players, but many of the organization’s young pitchers are now beginning to open eyes as well.

Chief among them is 20-year-old left-hander Kyle Harrison, a third-round Draft pick who opted to forgo his commitment to UCLA after landing a $2.5 million signing bonus -- the equivalent of late first-round money -- in 2020. It’s looking like the right move for Harrison, who validated the Giants’ faith by logging a 3.19 ERA with 157 strikeouts over 98 2/3 innings in his pro debut with Low-A San Jose last season.

“Coach [John] Savage, what he does at UCLA with the pitchers he gets there, it speaks for itself,” Harrison said. “That was very hard to turn down. But me and my family, we were just thinking what would be the best path for me and my development. We felt that the Giants had a lot to offer. I couldn’t be happier with my decision, and I’m looking to get better each and every day.”

Harrison, a De La Salle High School (Concord, CA) product who is ranked the Giants’ No. 5 prospect by MLB Pipeline, faced live hitters for the first time this spring during Minor League camp at Papago Park earlier this week, showing off a trimmer frame that resulted from his improved diet and conditioning over the offseason.

“Going through my first full season, I really realized that health is the most important thing,” Harrison said. “Kind of in the middle of the season, I'll say I was gaining some weight and not feeling as explosive off the mound. I took this offseason to really, really work on my diet and work hard and come back. I thought a lot of people were impressed with how I looked. I was impressed with how I felt off the mound because that's the most important thing.”

Harrison, who is listed at 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, said he bulked up after the Giants drafted him in June 2020, though those gains were a byproduct of his work in the weight room and helped lead to a jump in velocity. After working at 90-93 mph with his fastball in high school, Harrison operated in the mid-90s and touched 98 in his first year as a pro.

“I think Kyle was actually in really good shape last year coming in,” Minor League pitching coordinator Justin Lehr said. “He’s done a wonderful job preparing to be here this year, for sure. I think physically, yeah, we’ve noticed what good shape he’s in. He’s done a really good job kind of managing that through his first full season. It’s a long year, so to stay really disciplined with your nutrition and your conditioning is a challenge for any player, especially a first-year player. But we’ve seen a lot of growth there.”

Harrison said the hardest part of losing weight over the offseason was cutting back on unhealthy snacking.

“It's just the little snacks that get me,” Harrison said. “I like to eat a lot. I was a growing boy coming into pro ball. … Just kind of figuring out my body through that first full season and coming back, now I know how my body reacts to certain things.”

Another challenge Harrison faced was learning to pitch with his accelerated fastball, which he struggled to command at times last year. While he missed plenty of bats, Harrison also issued 52 walks and hit 15 batters over 23 starts in 2021.

“That was probably the biggest adjustment,” Harrison said. “On the fastball, I was missing up in the zone a lot. I think that will just come eventually with me just learning how to harness that jump in velocity.”

Attacking hitters and throwing more strikes are Harrison’s top aims for 2022, though he’s also experimenting with new changeup grips to ensure he can develop a third pitch to pair with his blazing fastball and plus slider. With a low three-quarters arm slot, Harrison is most often compared to seven-time All-Star Chris Sale, whom he tries to model his style of pitching after.

“I always wanted a sweeper like him, a little sweeper slider,” Harrison said. “I've kind of got a lot of comparisons to him as well, but I just liked the way he attacked guys. Hard-throwing lefty, just not really caring what's behind them or anything, just kind of attacking the zone. That's the mindset that I want to have.”