JOE’S NOT KID-DING AROUND

Girardi invokes dynastic Yankees when raving about depth of prospects

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The kids are better than all right, and even better than Joe Girardi expected.

Managers can be the toughest critics when it comes to young players, but there was Girardi sitting in the dugout Sunday at the Ballpark of the Palm Beaches raving about what he has seen this spring from Beyond the Future Core Four on a day the Yankees upped their spring record to 17-6 with a 6-4 win over the Astros.

With only 10 spring training games remaining in Florida, Girardi has seen enough to know the Yankees’ future is going to be successful, and the present, too.

“The one thing that I’ve realized in camp is that the depth of our young players is bigger than I realized,’’ Girardi said.

“It’s been better than what I heard. I wanted to see it with my own two eyes, I didn’t realize how deep it really was.’’

He declared his Yankees legitimate playoff contenders, “Yes, I do,’’ Girardi said.

Girardi went back to the future, pointing to the true Core Four “plus Bernie [Williams], the five guys,’’ he said of Mariano Rivera, Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada and Andy Pettitte.

“Two for sure Hall of Famers [in Rivera and Jeter,] three possible or right-on-the-cusp guys [Posada, Pettitte, and Williams.]” That is baseball gold. He drew this comparison: “Now I don’t know if this group will reach that,’’ Girardi said, “but I think this is a broader group when you start talking the sheer number of kids that can really make an impact here. I’m really excited about the group. It’s really deep. You know it’ s probably not going to work out for every one of them, but when you watch them,’’ he said, then pointing to the field, “you feel like he’s going to play in the big leagues, he’s going to play in the big leagues and you just keep going on and on.’’

Girardi insisted he is not boasting to improve the trade value of some of the young players. “This is what I see,’’ he said. “When you think about the heyday of the Yankees in the ’90s, there were young players with veterans sprinkled around them so it really helps in salary structure, too ,’’ Girardi said. “Because if you are paying four, f ive guys $500,000 t hat a re making huge impact, you got money to go get that awesome veteran to put in your lineup. It becomes pretty special.’’

Hello Manny Machado? Or Bryce Harper?

Thinking of the New Yankee Core Four, these are the top four on my list — Gary Sanchez , Gleyber Torres, Greg Bird and Aaron Judge — with others pushing to get in there.

Asked specif ically if Torres can be up much sooner than expected, Girardi left the door wide open.

“Anything is possible,” he said. “I knew he was a really good player, but I don’t think I realized how mature he was when you watch his at-bats. You hear a guy is a really good hitter but you want to see him hit, he’s very mature in those situations. I think this kid has the chance to be a really, really good player. I’m not sure where he is going to end up on the infield, but his baseball IQ is really good and he’s going to be a really good player.’’

Torres was 1- for -1 Sunday and is batting .444 this spring. Judge threw out Brian McCann at second from the right-field corner.

There’s also James Kaprielian, who could become the Pettitte of the group, Justus Sheffield, Chance Adams, Jorge Mateo, Billy McKinney, Clint Frazier, Dustin Fowler, Tyler Wade and others.

Frazier, who had two hits Sunday, is making strides.

“I think he feels comfortable around his peer group and is much more relaxed,’’ Girardi said. “He’s learned a lot of things, he understands that going from center to left at Yankee Stadium is not necessarily being demo ted. Left field is center field at Yankee Stadium. There a re things yo u learn just being around the guys and understanding the Yankees. I’m excited for him. I’ ve seen growth.’’

Keep growing, kids.