ATLANTA -- Michael Conforto wasn't in the minor leagues for very long, so he didn't remember much about playing some of the Yankees' farm teams. He had some sort of recollection of seeing the big body of Aaron Judge in the outfield in Double-A, but that's mostly just because he's pretty hard to miss.

But when their paths finally crossed, it was at the 2015 MLB Futures Game in at Cincinnati's Great American Ballpark. It was right before he was called up the Mets, so Conforto remembers everything about that days leading up the game and the days after the game that led up to his debut.

So Conforto remembers formally meeting Judge for the first time. And the batting practice balls he put into the second deck.

"His batting practice was impressive at the Futures Game," Conforto said. "He was putting them into the restaurant area in centerfield. Everyone's batting practice in the Futures Game was crazy, but he stood out."

Judge stood out for another reason, the same reason he always does: When you're 6-foot-7 and jacked, you tend to stand out.

"If I saw him on the street, I would probably think that he was a professional football player," Conforto said.

But the one thing that struck Conforto about Judge was his friendly demeanor.

"Super nice guy," Conforto said. "He's huge but he's one of the nicest guys that you'll meet. And you kind of don't expect that from such a big guy. That was my first impression that he's super nice. Kind of a gentle giant."

New York's best two young hitters might be different in stature but they're putting up similar numbers. Judge has an impressive slash line of .313/.424/.795 with 12 home runs and 25 RBIs, while Conforto is slashing .344/.421/.688 with seven homers and 16 RBIs. Judge became a lineup staple right out spring training while Conforto has made himself indispensable by making the most of opportunities given to him. He's played all three outfield positions and has the Mets' leadoff spot locked down.

Their career paths have taken similar turns as well. They're both west coast kids, with Conforto coming out of Oregon State by way of Seattle, and Judge staying relatively close to home in Northern California, going to Fresno State. Judge was drafted with the Yankees' first pick in 2013 and Conforto was taken by the Mets with their first pick a year later.

The two didn't get a chance to become close at the Futures Game, but Conforto hopes to reconnect with the gentle giant during the Subway Series. For now, he's definitely paying attention to what his Bronx counterpart is up to.

"I've watched a lot of highlights," Conforto said. "Obviously he's got some incredible power and it looks like he's got the approach down a little bit now. So he's pretty impressive."

Abbey Mastracco may be reached at amastracco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @abbeymastracco. Find NJ.com on Facebook