Dave Engle Leading by Example

A good minor-league coach can wear many hats within his organization. He has to be versatile.

Dave Engle may have overstepped his obligations. His head wear now includes a catcher’s mask.

A former catcher for Crawford High School, USC and four major league teams, Engle has agreed to strap on the gear once again, if need be, for the Houston Astros’ triple-A affiliate in Tucson, Ariz.

Engle, 34, retired as a player in 1989 after nine major league seasons and began his coaching career this season with the Toros. He was activated early last week because of a depleted roster.

In addition to a rash of injuries, Carl Nichols, one of Tucson’s two regular catchers, went to Houston to care for his ailing wife and has yet to return.

Engle has yet to catch in a game, but he has made one appearance. Called in from the third-base coaching box to pinch hit, Engle failed to get a hit.

Add Toros: Pitcher Randy Hennis (Patrick Henry High) had surgery on his right (pitching) shoulder last Wednesday and will probably miss the rest of the season. Hennis is 4-0 with a 3.36 earned run average.

Trivia: For the past three seasons, players from the North County have led the minor leagues in home runs. Name them.

Bad News, Good News: Around the Davis household, they have had a little of both recently.

Mike Davis, a former outfielder for the Dodgers and the A’s, was released last week by Indianapolis, a triple-A affiliate of the Montreal Expos. Davis, who attended Hoover High and Mesa College, was hitting .236 in 58 games with three homers and 20 RBIs.

On the bright side, Davis’ younger brother, Mark Davis, an outfielder for Hoover and Stanford in the 1980s, will likely be promoted to the Angels when major-league rosters can be expanded to 40 players on Sept. 1.

Davis, who played briefly with the Angels already this season before being sent back to triple-A Edmonton, is hitting .282 with 12 home runs, 51 RBIs and 31 stolen bases.

Trivia Answer: Poway High’s Phil Plantier, recently promoted to the Boston Red Sox, led the minors in home runs last year with 33. Mt. Carmel’s Eric Anthony, property of the Houston Astros, had the most homers the previous two seasons--31 in 1989 and 29 in ’88.

As of Thursday, Padre prospect Jay Gainer (Class-A High Desert) was tied for the minor-league lead with 29 homers.

Add Plantier: In Boston’s media guide, it states: “(Plantier) is an electrician in Poway during the offseason.”

Said Plantier, “I don’t know where they got that. The only thing I know how to do is plug in my stereo.”

Get ‘Em While Their Hot: According to USA Today, Eric Karros’ 1991 Upper Deck rookie baseball card is already worth between 30 to 60 cents.

A first baseman, Karros (Patrick Henry High) has yet to play an inning in the major leagues. He is, however, having another outstanding minor-league season, batting .309 with 55 extra-base hits and 89 RBIs for the Dodgers’ triple-A club in Albuquerque.

Coming On Strong: After a moderate start and a slump in June, former Mt. Carmel High catcher Miah Bradbury has raised his average to .280 and has seven home runs and 42 RBIs for Miami, a Class-A independent team. On June 29, Bradbury was hitting .248 with two homers and 19 RBIs.