Pittsburgh Pirates: Pleasant Surprises of the First Half

When the baseball season first began, everybody predicted yet another losing season. Nobody believed that the Pittsburgh Pirates were going to do anything worth watching. At the All-Star Break, however, fans have been treated to quite a few surprises in the first half.

We will start with number eight on the list...

8. Alex Presley

Presley has already gained a lot of fans in the Pittsburgh area. He goes hard every play, and his defense has been solid. Through 13 games, his bat is what really has gotten the most attention. Presley is batting .357 and already has 3 triples, good enough for first place on the team with McCutchen and Xavier Paul.

7. Andrew McCutchen

The unquestioned leader of the team, McCutchen was expected by most to do well this year. However, I don't think anyone expected him to put up the outstanding stats that he is. With 14 home runs and 15 stolen bases, "Cutch" has a legitimate shot at becoming the newest member of the 30/30 club. After an initial snub, McCutchen was able to sneak into the All Star game by replacing the injured Ryan Braun. He has been spectacular so far this year, and hopefully that continues late into the season.

6. Charlie Morton

While fizzling out as of late, Morton was flat out dominant in the early months of the season. His 7-5 record and 3.80 ERA don't tell the whole story. In May and June, Morton was drawing comparisons to Roy Halladay, the best pitcher in baseball. While those expectations are a little high, Morton has been quite a nice surprise since his 2-12 record and 7.57 ERA of a year ago.

5. Jeff Karstens

Like many Pirates fans, I was sick of Jeff Karstens after the performance he put on last season. A 3-10 record with an ERA hovering around 5 isn't exactly stats you want to show off to your friends. In one season, Karstens did a complete turn around. His 7-4 record and 2.55 ERA had many people wondering if he would be an All-Star. While he won't be traveling to Phoenix, Karstens will continue to be a big surprise and great pitcher for the organization.

4. Neil Walker

Last year, Pirates fans were all excited about Neil Walker. Nobody expected him to be a surprise for a second time. However, he should rightfully be on this list again. After a very hot start to the season, Walker has been one of the biggest reasons the Pirates have been winning games. His batting average isn't exactly great, but he always seems to come through in the clutch. Walker leads all second basemen in the league in RBI's with 59.

3. Kevin Correia

Raise your hand if you expected Kevin Correia to be among the league leaders in wins this year with 11.

Anyone? Yeah, me neither.

A free agent signing from the Padres, Correia was expected to be a veteran pitcher who could help out the young guys in the rotation. I don't think anyone expected him to surpass his win total from all of last year by the All Star break. Correia has been a great pickup by the organization and certainly a very nice surprise. He will get to take the trip to Phoenix and represent the team.

2. Joel Hanrahan

Talk about coming out of nowhere.

Joel Hanrahan has easily been a top surprise this year. After never getting more than 9 saves in a season, Hanrahan has tallied 26 by mid-summer and hasn't blown any of them. He has been virtually untouchable this season, and received an All Star nod. Let's hope "Hammer Time" continues all year long.

1. Being One Game out of First Place

Clint Hurdle has every reason to be smiling.

Hurdle's first season as manager has been extremely exciting. After years of wondering when the team would pull it together, the 2011 Pittsburgh Pirates have given fans reason to cheer. The Bucs are only 1 game out of first place behind the Milwaukee Brewers and the St. Louis Cardinals. Their 47-43 record is a pretty sight to see. The last time the Pirates were above .500 at the All Star break? 1992, the year they won the division and Barry Bonds still had a normal sized head.

If that doesn't surprise you, I don't know what will.