Terry Collins managed against the Yankees during their dynasty years in the late 1990s, but the Mets manager doesn't believe those lineups match up with this year's group.

"Personnel and name-wise, this is the best lineup I've seen of a Yankee team," Collins said Saturday before the Mets faced the Yankees.

Collins, who managed the Angels from 1997-99, praised those late-1990s teams for their depth, and how there were great hitters on the bench who could come in and mash. He mentioned Wade Boggs, Darryl Strawberry and Charlie Hayes as examples of the powerful options the Yankees had back then.

This year, the Yankees are 3-1 against the Mets and have averaged 5.5 runs per game against their crosstown rivals.

"This lineup is second to none for me. You cannot make mistakes. You have to be able to keep your concentration and if you make your mistake, you better be able to get over it because you got another bomber coming in that lineup," Collins said. "Joe (Girardi) has done a tremendous job of managing. You're looking at an infield that possibly every one of them is going to the Hall of Fame. Holy man. Show me another team that can do that."