5 Jaw-Dropping Stat Paces from MLB's First Half

With the first half of the season wrapping up, we're starting to see a clearer picture of which teams are candidates for postseason play and which players are candidates for individual honors.

A number of players have got off to hot starts this season, some of which got off to record-breaking paces early on.

While some may have cooled since April, there are still some stats that you have to give a second look when you consider what they mean.

David Wright

Whenever any season starts, there is inevitably a player that gets off on the right foot and tears the cover off the ball.

That was David Wright this April, as he batted .390 during the first month of the season to start the far-too-early speculation as to whether someone could finally match Ted Williams' mark.

As players often (always) do, he's come back to the pack quite a bit since then. However, he is still batting better than .350 on the season.

Ryan Dempster

Currently sitting at 3-3 with a 2.11 ERA, Ryan Dempster has one of the lowest marks in the league and is clearly having one of the best seasons of all pitchers in the game.

He posted a 1.33 ERA during the month of April, allowing only three runs in three starts.

Looking at his statistics, the biggest surprise is actually that he's only won three games, the first of which didn't occur until his 10th start of the season.

Josh Hamilton

During his torrid pace in the first fifth of the season, we all wondered just how many home runs Josh Hamilton may be able to hit in 2012.

Hitting 18 home runs in the team's first 34 games, he became just the second player in major league history to reach the feat.

Hamilton has certainly cooled off since, as he's hit only six in the last month and a half, but is still flirting with a pace that could see him hit 60 on the season.

Adam Dunn

Finally showing some power in U.S. Cellular Field in 2012, the Chicago White Sox are getting a little bit more of what they expected when they signed Adam Dunn to a massive contract prior to the 2011 season.

They're also seeing just how much a power hitter can really strikeout. With 121 strikeouts already in 76 games this season, Dunn is well on his way to chasing the single season record for strikeouts, which is 223, set by Mark Reynolds in 2009.

Jose Bautista

After getting off to a relatively slow start this season, as Edwin Encarnacion led the show for the Toronto Blue Jays offense, Jose Bautista is returning to form in a big, big way.

He's launched himself up to 26 home runs for the season already, and if he keeps seeing pitches throughout the remainder of the season, he'll have a great shot at flirting with 60.