TAMPA -- The New York Yankees clubhouse is regarded as one huge family by every single person in there, from the manager on down to the newest clubhouse attendants. And that's even truer for Justus Sheffield, for whom baseball is a biological family affair.

Reading that, you might assume by the last name that Justus is related to former Yankees outfielder Gary Sheffield. He's not, but he does have a sibling in the game: older brother Jordan, who is almost a full year Justus' chronological senior but, because he (unlike Justus) went to college instead of turning pro out of high school, is two years behind in professional experience.

Finally a chance for little bro to be the leader, but one he relishes despite the fact Justus and Jordan are worlds apart (literally, at times) as members of the Yankees and Dodgers organizations, respectively.

"My family is very blessed to have two boys playing professional baseball," Justus beams. "It's a big help for us, too, that we can call each other at any time to discuss what we're going through, and the other know exactly what's going on. I'm looking forward to seeing what he does with his career."

For Jordan, Justus and younger brother Jaxon, baseball has always been something they enjoyed with their parents, and it's no surprise that the two older boys have made it their livelihoods. They were both stars at Tullahoma (TN) High School who committed to play just down the road at Vanderbilt, and both ended up selected as first-round draft picks: Justus No. 31 overall by Cleveland in 2014, and Jordan -- who was Boston's 16th-round pick as a high-schooler in 2013 -- No. 36 overall by the Dodgers in 2016.

In this case, though, it's Justus following in Jordan's footsteps that really opened the door for both.

"This is really all I know, and honestly, if I didn't really have baseball, I don't know what I'd be doing," Justus admitted. "I've been playing all my life, and fell in love with it in high school. Once I started seeing my brother get all these college offers, and then going through all the recruitment process myself, that's when I really fell in love with the game, and I'd rather be doing this than anything else."

Within his new Yankees family, Justus has found himself another big brother type: fellow lefty CC Sabathia, who also knows a thing or two about the Indians organization and has made himself available to Justus for any advice he needs on and off the field.

"He's been a big help ever since I came over, and he really took me under his wing last year when I was (in Major League camp) for the first time," Sheffield said. "Just seeing what he does on a daily basis, and being able to ask him questions about anything…he's a real leader on this team. We got close last year and stayed close, and he always texted me during my season last year and even during the offseason. I was glad to have him back this year!"

But even if Sabathia, who hit free agency last winter, hadn't re-signed, the outgoing Sheffield surely would have had no problem finding a new mentor in a youthful but experienced clubhouse.

"To me, one of the biggest keys to having a winning team Is having a healthy and laid-back clubhouse," Sheffield posited, "because when you're out there on the field, you're playing with those guys for 140, or 162, games a year. It's important to be close and hold each other accountable, so it's important to me to get to know and be comfortable with everybody."

He certainly fits the bill, and while he'll always be grateful to the Indians organization for giving him his first professional opportunity, Sheffield is eternally grateful that he gets to ply his trade as one of the undisputed top prospects in the Yankees organization.

"It's almost unexplainable how it felt when I got traded, or when I put the pinstripes on for the first time and saw the New York Yankees logo on my hat and on my chest," he smiled. "Just the history of this organization, and the amount of professionalism that it takes to be a New York Yankee -- it's something that I bought into as soon as I got traded, and it's something that I wish a lot of guys could feel. I look at myself as being very blessed to be a part of the Yankees."