Leyritz Heavier and Confident

Think you could stick to that diet if, every time you weighed in at goal weight, you got $10,000?

That was the incentive Angel catcher Jim Leyritz had with the New York Yankees. If he remained between 200 and 206 pounds at 10 periodic weigh-ins, he got a bonus of $100,000.

But by the middle of last season, Leyritz felt so weak at the lighter weight that he told owner George Steinbrenner to keep his money, choosing to return to the weight room and an unrestricted diet.

But when he was traded to Anaheim, General Manager Bill Bavasi told him just to come to camp ready to play.

The 6-foot Leyritz, who hopes to go from a utility player to an everyday catcher this season, looks ready. He spent much of the winter in the weight room and reported to Tempe a bulky but muscular 224 pounds.

“I feel so much stronger now,” he said.

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Second baseman Randy Velarde has not had treatment on his knees once this spring, an indication that arthroscopic surgeries this winter have solved his chronic problems.

“I spent enough time in [the training room] last year to be a certified trainer,” Velarde said. “That was definitely one of my goals this year, to stay out of the training room. So far, so good.” . . . Manager Terry Collins got a surprise visit Monday from the Eastern Michigan baseball team, which is in the Phoenix area to play. Collins played at Eastern Michigan with the school’s current coach, Roger Coryell.