ANGELS : Salary Will Get Fatter if Valera Gets Slimmer

TEMPE, Ariz —  In what is believed to be an unprecedented contract in baseball, the Angels have included a provision that will provide a bonus to starter Julio Valera based on his body fat.

Valera, who weighed 252 pounds when he arrived at training camp two weeks ago, will be examined for his body-fat content six times during the season, beginning May 1. If he meets the club’s varying standard, he is eligible to receive $15,000, in addition to his $190,000 base salary.

“I don’t think it’s ever been done before,” said Dan O’Brien, Angel vice president for baseball operations, who along with trainer Ned Bergert originated the contract incentive. “There have been lots of weight clauses, but never one for body fat.

“We just don’t want Julio just to lose weight and look like he came off a death march. We want him to maintain whatever weight he feels comfortable with, but make sure he’s in good condition.”

Valera’s contract stipulates that he will be paid $2,500 per month if he meets the club’s standard. His body-fat must be no higher than 20% on May 1, 18% in June, 17% in July, 16% in August and 15% each of the last two months.

“I’ve never heard of anything like this before,” said the 6-foot-2 Valera, “but, hey, it’s money. I’ll take it. They didn’t want to give it to me as part of the base salary, so I’ll have to earn it this way.

“I told them I’m comfortable at 235, but if I get lower, I feel weak. So they came up with this idea.”

The average body-fat for a major league baseball player is 12%, according to Bergert, with the national average about 15%. Valera said his body-fat content is about 21%.

Valera, who pitched two perfect innings Sunday in the Angels’ 7-6 victory over the Oakland Athletics in their inaugural game at Tempe Diablo Stadium, celebrated on a stair-climbing machine for 30 minutes. He already has lowered his weight to 238 and expects to reach each monthly incentive.

Valera, who was 8-11 with a 3.73 earned-run average in his first season with the Angels, tired in the second half. He won only three games after the All-Star break and failed to pitch six innings in seven of his final 13 starts.

Manager Buck Rodgers, who along with veterans Mark Langston and Gary Gaetti met with American League President Bobby Brown on Sunday morning, does not anticipate any rule changes to speed up the game.

“I think they’ll get everybody’s cooperation and little things will be done,” Rodgers said. “To me, the biggest problem is that too many pitches are thrown each game. The hitters should go up there hacking.

“I see some of these guys come back to the bench and (complaining) about called strikes that are an inch off the plate. Come on. Six inches is a legitimate gripe, but don’t give that one-inch stuff.

“When (National League umpire) Paul Runge used to say, ‘You better be swinging,’ I think most hitters had their best days.”

Tim Salmon, the minor league player of the year in 1992, probably will bat third, Rodgers said. Although slightly hampered by a sore right shoulder, Salmon went two for four with a two-run double. . . . Reliever Ron Watson’s left eye was covered by a huge bandage Sunday. The reason? “I was just horsing around Saturday night with the guys and cut it,” he said. “I feel like a real idiot.”