MLB 2011: Power Ranking the 25 Biggest Surprises of the First Half of the Season

The first half of the 2011 MLB season has now come to a close, and over the first three months there have been numerous surprises, disappointments and downright shocking events.

Thus far, the MLB season has seen one of the most storied franchises in professional sports, the Los Angeles Dodgers, go through ownership issues that have now put the team into bankruptcy and what will no doubt be a protracted battle between owner Frank McCourt and MLB Commissioner Bud Selig.

The MLB season has also seen players who signed lucrative free-agent contracts with new teams and have gotten off to miserable starts (Adam Dunn, Dan Uggla, Carl Crawford).

However, the MLB season has also brought some very unexpected surprises—from players who were thought to be afterthoughts when the season started to players who have just flat out impressed since Opening Day.

Bleacher Report will take a look at the 25 biggest surprises at the halfway mark of the 2011 season. Both players and teams are included, and the list does not reflect players who have been recently called up who have made immediate impacts (Lonnie Chisenhall, Eric Hosmer, Jemile Weeks, etc.).

Doug Mead is a featured columnist with Bleacher Report. His work has been featured on the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, SF Gate, CBS Sports, the Los Angeles Times and the Houston Chronicle. Follow Doug on Twitter, @Sports_A_Holic.

25. Todd Helton: Colorado Rockies

On Thursday afternoon, Colorado Rockies first baseman Todd Helton played in his 2,000th game, becoming only the 54th player in MLB history to play that many games with the same team.

What makes the feat surprising is at the end of last season, Helton was all but left dead, having hit just .256 with eight homers and 37 RBI in 118 games while battling back pain and leg weakness.

This season, Helton has almost surpassed those numbers in just a half-season, hitting .306 with nine homers and 34 RBI, and will likely garner consideration for Comeback Player of the Year honors.

24. Andrew McCutchen: Pittsburgh Pirates

There has never been any denial of the potential of Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen—it’s been more a matter of when he would mature and reach that potential.

That time appears to be now. Thus far in 2011, McCutchen is hitting .280 with 11 HR and 40 RBI. Pirates manager Clint Hurdle has even used McCutchen in the cleanup spot in several games to take advantage of McCutchen’s hot bat during the month of June.

At just 24 years of age, McCutchen figures to get better and better as he continues to mature.

23. J.J. Putz: Arizona Diamondbacks

Entering the 2011 season, Arizona Diamondbacks closer J.J. Putz had not performed as a full-time closer since 2008, and endured a miserable season with the New York Mets before performing admirably last season for the Chicago White Sox as a setup man for closer Bobby Jenks.

The Diamondbacks signed Putz to a two-year, $10 million contract during the offseason, with general manager Kevin Towers and manager Kirk Gibson hoping that Putz could return to his 2007 form as closer with the Seattle Mariners.

Putz has absolutely done that, and more. In 34 appearances thus far, Putz has saved 21 games and has provided stability in the back of the bullpen for the surprising D-Backs. If current numbers continue, Putz is on track to surpass his previous high of 40 saves in ’07.

22. David Ortiz: Boston Red Sox

Designated hitter David Ortiz is certainly no surprise in terms of his production since joining the Boston Red Sox in 2003. However, in the three previous seasons, Ortiz got off to terrible starts that clearly hindered his normal production.

This season, Ortiz turned that trend around, hitting .267 with two home runs in April, and then really lighting it up in the month of May with a .342 average and 10 home runs. June hasn’t seen much of a slowdown either, as Ortiz is hitting .299 with five home runs.

Ortiz has also only struck out 35 times thus far, a remarkable turnaround from last year when Big Papi whiffed 145 times.

21. Matt Kemp: Los Angeles Dodgers

Matt Kemp is an absolute star, there is no question about that. Both he and Andre Ethier form the nucleus of the Los Angeles Dodgers offense, and have now for the past two-plus seasons.

What has been a surprise thus far is that Kemp has put up numbers that challenge the Triple Crown, which has not been achieved since Carl Yastrzemski last pulled it off in 1967.

Kemp currently leads the National League in home runs (22), is second in runs batted in (63) and second in batting average (.331). And Kemp is doing all of this without letting the current Dodgers ownership issues get to him.

Pretty remarkable considering the massive cloud hanging over Dodgertown.

20. Michael Pineda: Seattle Mariners

Quite a few people expected 22-year-old rookie pitcher Michael Pineda to be good, but you would be hard-pressed to find many people who thought that Pineda would be THIS good coming out of the gate.

In the first 16 starts of his young career, Pineda is 7-5 with a 2.65 ERA, a 1.03 WHIP and opponents are only hitting .198 against him.  Pineda already possesses one of the nastiest sliders in baseball and, unless he completely falls apart in the second half, will likely win the American League Rookie of the Year and maybe even a few votes for the Cy Young award.

19. Ian Kennedy: Arizona Diamondbacks

When Ian Kennedy was drafted by the New York Yankees in the first round of the 2006 MLB draft, much was expected of the youngster from the University of Southern California. However, the Yankees got tired of waiting for Kennedy to develop at the major league level, and included him as part of the three-team trade that brought Curtis Granderson to New York.

Last season, Kennedy showed flashes of that promise, with a 9-10 record in 32 starts with a 3.80 ERA. This season, Kennedy has blossomed with the D-Backs, with an 8-2 record and 3.01 ERA, and will in all likelihood find himself representing the hometown team at the All-Star game in Phoenix on July 12.

18. Matt Harrison: Texas Rangers

In Matt Harrison’s first two seasons with the Texas Rangers, he struggled as a starter, going a combined 12-8 with a 5.76 ERA, and opponents hitting over .300 against him in both seasons. Last season, Harrison worked mainly out of the bullpen, providing only six starts.

This season, Harrison was named as the club’s fifth starter, and he has responded brilliantly. Although his record is only 6-6, Harrison has an outstanding 3.00 ERA and has given up only 72 hits in 84 innings.

17. Kyle Lohse: St. Louis Cardinals

The 2009 and 2010 seasons were not kind to St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Kyle Lohse. In 40 starts over the two seasons, Lohse was 10-18 with a 5.54 ERA, while also dealing with a rare forearm injury.

This season, the Cards’ rotation took a severe blow when ace Adam Wainwright was lost for the season early in spring training with Tommy John surgery, and it was not clear whether or not Lohse would be able to bounce back from two injury-plagued seasons.

Lohse has certainly answered those questions, posting an 8-4 record and 2.78 ERA thus far in 2011. Lohse has regained his command, walking just 20 batters in 110 innings pitched, and his signature changeup has been deadly as well.

16. Josh Beckett: Boston Red Sox

After a 2010 season that was absolutely horrific, it was not known how Boston Red Sox pitcher Josh Beckett would fare in the 2011 season. Last season, Beckett was 6-6 with a 5.78 ERA and battled nagging back issues for most of the season.

This season, Beckett is 6-3 with a 2.20 ERA and, until a loss to the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday, Beckett was leading the American League with the lowest ERA. He is still second to Angels’ starter Jered Weaver, and Beckett has also held opposing batters to a .178 average, tied for the lowest in the AL with Justin Verlander.

15. Jair Jurrjens: Atlanta Braves

Like Josh Beckett before him, Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Jair Jurrjens also endured a horrible 2010 season, posting a 7-6 record in 20 starts with a 4.64 ERA, while also battling a hamstring injury early in the season that landed him on the shelf for almost two months, and later in the season dealing with a torn meniscus in his knee.

Now, completely healthy once again, Jurrjens is back to the form that gave Braves fans hope back in 2008. In 14 starts thus far, Jurrjens is 10-3 with a 2.07 ERA and will likely represent the Braves at this year’s All-Star game.

14. Michael Morse: Washington Nationals

Michael Morse was not sure what the Washington Nationals planned for him when the season began. With the newly acquired Jayson Werth in right field, Nyjer Morgan in center and a platoon of Rick Ankiel and Roger Bernadina in left, Morse looked like the odd man out.

However, after shipping Morgan to the Milwaukee Brewers and the shoulder injury to first baseman Adam Laroche, Morse has stepped up in a big way. Thus far, Morse is hitting .300 with 15 homers, matching last year’s output already, and 46 runs batted in. Defensively, Morse has filled in admirably at first base and in left field, not committing an error yet this season.

13. Alex Avila: Detroit Tigers

Going into this past Tuesday, Detroit Tigers catcher Alex Avila was trailing the New York Yankees catcher by almost 435,000 votes in fan balloting for the AL starting role in the All-Star game, and Avila has put up far better numbers offensively.

Avila came into his own this year, now hitting .303 with 10 HR and 46 RBI. Avila has been a force for the Tigers offensively, and has been terrific defensively and in handling the pitching staff.

12. Jose Bautista: Toronto Blue Jays

After posting an incredible 54 home runs last season in what was a breakout year, very few expected Toronto Blue Jays third baseman/right fielder Jose Bautista to repeat with a similar season.

However, Bautista has not only posted similar numbers, he has also posted a batting average thus far that is 69 points higher than last season. In addition, Bautista has walked more times (68) than he has struck out (47), also posting a ridiculous 1.139 OPS.

How’s that for an encore?

11. Joel Hanrahan: Pittsburgh Pirates

Back in mid-February, there was much speculation as to who Pittsburgh Pirates manager Clint Hurdle would name as the closer for the Bucs—Joel Hanrahan or Evan Meek. Hurdle wasted no time and named Hanrahan as closer.

Hurdle certainly doesn’t regret that choice at this point in time. Hanrahan has been All-Star worthy, posting 23 saves in 23 opportunities along with a tidy 1.21 ERA. Thus far, Hanrahan has only given up five earned runs on the season.

10. Philip Humber: Chicago White Sox

At the start of the season, if you had said that Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Philip Humber might be the lone representative from the White Sox, other than Paul Konerko, to be represented at the All-Star game, your friends might have called for a white jacket with funny looking arms.

However, that may well be the case. Humber, who bounced around with three different organizations over the previous five years and winning a grand total of two games, is now 7-4 with a 2.89 ERA and has become the go-to guy on the White Sox pitching staff.

9. Charlie Morton: Pittsburgh Pirates

To say that Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Charlie Morton suffered through a bad season in 2010 would be akin to saying that Manny Ramirez is just a bit quirky.

Morton was 2-12 with a 7.57 ERA in 17 starts last season for the Pirates, and his confidence level not so coincidentally was at an all-time low.

This year however, after an offseason that saw Morton make some changes mechanically, has been a complete turnaround. Morton, after 14 starts, is 7-4 with a 3.77 ERA, is once again throwing his sinker with authority, and his teammates are confident each time Morton takes the mound.

Catcher Ryan Doumit told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that success breeds confidence, and Morton is clearly a different man.

"Last year was a nightmare for Charlie,” Doumit said. “You can be the most confident guy in the world, but a year like that eats at you. Look at him now. He's the type of guy who's so talented that, if he gets a little swagger, he could absolutely take off."

It looks like Morton already has.

8. Kevin Correia: Pittsburgh Pirates

Much like the man on this list (Charlie Morton) before him, Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Kevin Correia has also seen a huge turnaround from last season. Pitching for the San Diego Padres, Correia was 10-10 last season with a 5.40 ERA and was not offered a contract to return to the Padres.

The Pirates decided to take a chance, and signed Correia to a two-year, $8 million contract—if you were to ask the Pirates right now, they would say it was money well spent.

Correia is 10-6 with a 3.79 ERA thus far, and along with Charlie Morton and Jeff Karstens has provided outstanding starting pitching for a Pirates team that is above .500 later in the season than any other year since 1995.

7. Erik Bedard: Seattle Mariners

Shoulder issues pretty much turned Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Erik Bedard into nothing more than window dressing through the first three years of his career in Seattle. Because of his ongoing health issues, Bedard was only offered a one-year, $1 million non-guaranteed contract to return to Seattle in 2011.

Bedard not only bounced back, he did so in a major way. Although his 4-6 record may not reflect, Bedard’s 3.00 ERA and 85 strikeouts in 90 innings clearly showed that Bedard was indeed back. Unfortunately, Bedard landed on the 15-day disabled list on Tuesday with a sprained knee, but hey, at least it’s not the shoulder.

6. Matt Joyce: Tampa Bay Rays

When Matt Joyce was traded by the Detroit Tigers to the Tampa Bay Rays for starting pitcher Edwin Jackson in December 2008, Joyce was not considered to be a player who would provide much impact. Over the next two seasons, Joyce couldn’t crack the starting lineup, playing in 77 games last season with a .241 average.

However, with all of the player moves made by the Rays during the offseason, Joyce would finally get his chance, and he has taken the ball and ran with it, literally.

Thus far, Joyce is hitting .308 with 10 HR and 38 RBI, just about matching last year’s numbers and hitting 67 points higher. Joyce has also been outstanding in right field, with five assists and zero errors.

5. Arizona Diamondbacks

The Arizona Diamondbacks were thought to be manning the cellar along with the San Diego Padres in the National League West division in 2011. After finishing the 2010 season 65-97 and switching managers mid-season, the D-Backs certainly appeared to be a team headed in the wrong direction.

However, with Kirk Gibson in his first full season and new general manager Kevin Towers instilling confidence and restoring a fractured front office, the Diamondbacks are not only competitive, they’re competing with the world champion San Francisco Giants for top dog in the NL West.

Diamondbacks president and CEO Derrick Hall told FOXSports.com that he will give whatever support necessary to Towers in order to upgrade the team for the pennant run.

4. Dillon Gee: New York Mets

Last year, starting pitcher Dillon Gee was one of the young Mets prospects called up when the rosters were expanded to 40 players on Sept. 1. Gee impressed with his one month, posting a 2-2 record in five starts with a 2.18 ERA.

This season however, Gee has become the ace of the Mets staff. In 12 starts, Gee is 8-1 with a 3.32 ERA and has held opposing batters to a .217 average. Gee will no doubt get serious consideration for Rookie of the Year honors.

3. Pittsburgh Pirates

It’s probably hard to look at a team that is currently one game above .500 and call it a huge surprise. But this is the Pittsburgh Pirates we’re talking about.

The Pirates have not had a winning season since 1992, when their season was ended by a Sid Bream slide at the plate. For 18 straight seasons, Pirates fans have seen players who were homegrown shipped off to parts unknown when they were deemed no longer affordable.

Now, however, with a new manager in Clint Hurdle who has worked to instill a winning attitude, the Pirates are 40-39 and only two and a half games out of first place in the National League Central division. Homegrown talent is maturing (Andrew McCutchen, Neil Walker, Jose Tabata), veterans are having unexpectedly solid seasons (Joel Hanrahan, Kevin Correia, Charlie Morton) and the team has a swagger that hasn’t been seen in the Steel City since Barry Bonds left town.

2. Ryan Vogelsong: San Francisco Giants

The San Francisco Giants, reigning World Series champions, were expected to contend once again largely based on their starting pitching, led by Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Jonathan Sanchez and Madison Bumgarner.

However, one pitcher has stepped up to become one of the better pitchers on the staff, and it couldn’t have come from a more unlikely source—Ryan Vogelsong.

Vogelsong hadn’t even pitched in the majors since 2006, and hadn’t won a game since the previous season. In 12 starts since replacing the injured Barry Zito in the Giants rotation, Vogelsong is 6-1 with a 2.09 ERA.

Vogelsong falls just 3.1 innings short of the required innings needed to qualify for the ERA chase, but if he were qualified, he would be second to Jair Jurrjens (2.07) and ahead of defending Cy Young award winner Roy Halladay (2.40).

Not bad for a guy who hadn’t seen a big league mound in five years.

1. Jose Reyes: New York Mets

New York Mets shortstop Jose Reyes had to endure two seasons in which he was slowed by a series of injuries. At the end of the 2008 season, Reyes was considered one of the best shortstops in all of baseball and was an easy first-round selection in just about everyone’s fantasy league. Two years of injuries changed that.

However, this year, not only is Reyes back, he is back with a vengeance. When the Mets got off to a 5-13 start, Reyes literally put the team on his back and carried them. At two games above .500, the Mets have been one of the hottest teams in baseball.

Reyes told Mike Lupica of the New York Daily News that he knew what he needed to do.

"I'm 28 years old," Reyes said, "so I know what I have to do to put my team in a great position to win every single night. It's about being on the field, having fun, enjoying it the most I can, being around my team."

Spoken like a true MVP.