the envelope please …

It’s not always about numbers in baseball. But sometimes, the numbers are just so good, they have to be celebrated. Corey Dickerson had just such numbers in 2014. In his first full season with the Colorado Rockies, the McComb native and ex-Meridian Community College standout batted .312 with 24 home runs, 76 RBIs and 74 runs in 131 games. He slugged .567. He had 27 doubles, six triples and eight stolen bases. Even though the Rockies had a rough year, Dickerson’s numbers make him an easy choice for the 2014 Cool Papa Bell Award, given here for the best season by a Mississippian (native or college alum) in the major leagues. Dickerson, 25, a left-handed hitting outfielder, was projected (by Rotowire.com) to hit .275 with eight homers and 32 RBIs in a backup role in 2014. He far exceeded those numbers and appears poised now for even bigger and better things. … Dickerson gets the nod for the award this year over Billy Hamilton (.250, 72 runs, 56 steals in 152 games as a rookie for Cincinnati); Brian Dozier (23 homers, 71 RBIs, 112 runs, 21 steals for Minnesota); and Lance Lynn (15-10, 2.74 ERA, 203 2/3 innings for division-winning St. Louis). … Previous winners of the Cool Papa Bell Award, named for the first Mississippi native to be enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame, are Desmond Jennings, Lynn, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt and Chris Coghlan.