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Inside Corey Dickerson's All-Star transformation

 
Tampa Bay Rays designated hitter Corey Dickerson (10) listens to his bat in the dugout during the third inning of the game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Chicago White Sox at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla. on Wednesday, June 7, 2017.
Tampa Bay Rays designated hitter Corey Dickerson (10) listens to his bat in the dugout during the third inning of the game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Chicago White Sox at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla. on Wednesday, June 7, 2017.
Published July 8, 2017

ST. PETERSBURG — The pangs of hunger were eating at Corey Dickerson one night last winter, his commitment to losing 25 pounds facing a battle from his after-dinner sweet tooth.

He texted Rays teammate Chris Archer, a source of advice and encouragement during the conversion to better nutrition. Archer suggested that in place of usual ice cream or cereal Dickerson try yogurt, peanut butter or something similarly more healthy.

Archer reminded him then, and again when they'd talk, text, and work out together, to have patience in changing lifelong habits.

And now Archer has lauded Dickerson for his dedication and results.

"We have one thing in common," Archer said. "We want to be great. We don't want to be good. We don't want to be mediocre. We want to be a force in this game, because we have that potential.

"He shared some things with me, and I shared some things with him, about what we want to accomplish. And we hold each other accountable."

Both will cross off one of those goals Sunday night when they head cross-state to join the American League team for Tuesday's All-Star Game in Miami.

For Archer, who Friday was added as a replacement, this will be the second of what he expects to be many such appearances.

But for Dickerson this was a major breakthrough, even more so in being just the fifth starter elected by the fans in Rays history.

And a step toward the recognition he craves as one of the game's better overall batsmen.

"I've been kind of a fly-under-the-radar guy," Dickerson said. "I don't really care for the attention, but I care more about the respect of being a great hitter.

"It's kind of like an art to me. I try to be the best, try to be one of the best at it. That's just the competitor aspiring in me to be that. It's not any disrespect to anybody else. It's just why else play the game?"

Dickerson treats hitting as an art and a craft.

He has been obsessively compulsive in taking care of his bats, noting and cleaning foul-ball scuff marks and re-taping the handles daily, though trying to be less so this year. While cutting back on the total swings he takes each day, Dickerson incorporates a variety of drills into a specific daily routine including one where he stands on a 2x4 (on the ground the long way) with his heels hanging off the wood to improve his balance while swinging. He is incessantly talking with teammates about hitting and refining his left-handed swing.

If there is something to be figured out, an edge to be had, then Dickerson, 28, wants it.

Combine the considerable "chess match" challenge of hitting consistently at the major-league level combined with the competitiveness raging inside Dickerson (for example, saying if he played golf vs. top pro Jordan Spieth he "might probably get beat") and you have a man on a daily mission for excellence.

"I'm very glad I'm an All-Star, but every day that I don't succeed, I feel like I could have done better that day," he said. "My expectations are very, very high. Making the All-Star team wasn't my goal. It was trying to be the best player for this team and try to make the playoffs. And I knew if I prepared the right way and played to the capability I have, then the rewards like becoming an All-Star would fall in place."

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Dickerson certainly earned it, even with a recent cool stretch, going into play Saturday leading the AL with 33 multi-hit games and third in hits at 106, while ranking among the top 10 in average (.316), OPS (.914), extra-base hits (43), total bases (186) and times on base (130).

Though known with the Rockies for hitting homers frequently and far, Dickerson prides himself on being a complete hitter.

"I would rather hit .300-something than 40 homers, that's just my mentality," he said.

Also, "I want to be the most difficult out."

Dickerson is better this season than last — which wasn't that bad at .245 with 24 homers, 70 RBIs, .761 OPS — for a number of reasons, and while hitting leadoff, which seemed counterintuitive given his high swing rate (58.5 percent of all pitches).

Mentally, Dickerson is over the adjustments, which he downplayed at the time: Coming to the Rays. Facing tougher AL East pitching. Playing at sea level rather than altitudinous Coors Field. Spending most of his time at DH.

Physically, besides being in better shape, Dickerson has returned to using the whole field, regularly slapping pitches to left (for a .429 opposite-field average). Also, spoiling more pitches to lengthen at-bats (34 percent with two strikes) evidenced by getting called out just three times in 357 plate appearances.

Plus, Dickerson has extraordinary hand-eye coordination (and thus what former Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd called the game's best bat-to-ball skills), allowing him to not only be a good bad-ball hitter, but an occasionally amazing one. In Texas he swung at a pitch that bounced and drove it for a double.

"Competition is probably the funnest thing to me," Dickerson said. "And one of the most unique ways to compete is trying to figure out hitting a baseball coming at you in different sequences and different counts, and thinking along (with the pitcher) and figuring things out.

"When everything clicks, there is not a better feeling."

Dickerson has a lot to feel good about.

Marc Topkin can be reached at mtopkin@tampabay.com. Follow @ TBTimes_Rays.