The Boston Red Sox finished the first half of the 2011 season with a 55-35 record which has them in first place in the A.L. East, 1 game ahead of the Yankees. The Red Sox will likely be making some moves later this month involving adding to the back end of the starting rotation and to RF where they are getting next to no production out of J.D. Drew and others. Here’s a look at the players that stood out in the first half for the Red Sox:

MVP of the first half: I will go with 29-year old lefty 1B Adrian Gonzalez here. He has the sweetest swing in all of baseball as it reminds me of watching a young Ken Griffey Jr. The ball explodes off his bat, but when he gets behind in the count he shortens his swing going for singles and it has paid off this year. Gonzalez has played in 89 games for the Red Sox so far this year and he is 128 for 362 (.354 avg, 1.006 OPS) with 64 runs scored, 17 homers, 77 RBIs and 1 stolen base. 31-year old righty starting pitcher Josh Beckett would be the runner up. Beckett started 17 games for the Red Sox in the first half for the Red Sox and he was 8-3 with a 2.27 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP as he only gave up 72 hits in his first 111 innings pitched this year.

Biggest Surprise: I think that 28-year old righty reliever/starter Alfredo Aceves has been the biggest and most plesant surprise for the Red Sox so far this year. Whatever role the Red Sox have needed him in, Aceves has done a good job. Aceves has pitched in 24 games (4 starts) for the Red Sox so far this year and he is 4-1 with 1 save, a 3.41 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP.

Biggest Disappointment: The Red Sox have 29-year old lefty swinging outfielder Carl Crawford a 7-year, $142 million dollar contract last winter and they were expecting him to give the offense a jolt because of his speed and bat. But that hasn’t been the case so far this year. Crawford played in 67 games for the Red Sox so far this year and he is 64 for 263 (.243 avg, .659 OPS) with 33 runs scored, 6 homers, 31 RBIs and 8 stolen bases. His lack of speed has to be a very big concern for the front office of the Red Sox.

The Boston Red Sox got swept over the weekend in Texas as they were outscored 26-11 by the Texas Rangers. The Red Sox really didn’t have much to show for the weekend as the Rangers were running up to the plate against their pitchers. The Red Sox are 0-3 now and they are tied with the Rays for last place in the A.L. East, 3 games behind the Orioles. It’s really early though and the Cleveland Indians are on deck, so look for the Red Sox to start winning some games this week.

It’s amazing to me that the Boston Red Sox are 51-37 heading into the All-Star Break. They are in third place in the A.L. East, 5 games behind the Yankees and they are 3 games behind the Rays for the Wild Card. Red Sox manager Terry Francona deserves a ton of credit for keeping his injury ravaged roster in contention. Here is a closer look as the surprises and disappointments the Red Sox had in the first half of the 2010 season:

Pleasant Surprises: 31-year old 3B Adrian Beltre was signed for his mitt and power over the winter. But he has been so much more than that so far this season for the Red Sox. Beltre has played in 85 games for the Red Sox so far this season and he is 107 of 324 (.330 avg, .907 OPS) with 44 runs scored, 13 homers and 55 RBIs. 31-year old righty swinging outfielder Darnell McDonald has bounced around the minors for years without really getting his big shot at the show. Due to injuries he has gotten a lot of P.T. for the Red Sox this season and he’s making the most of it. McDonald has played in 68 games for the Red Sox so far this season and he is 52 of 192 (.271 avg, .742 OPS) with 22 runs scored, 6 homers, 24 RBIs and 6 stolen bases. The fact that McDonald can play all three outfield positions will likely guarantee him playing time in the second half of the year. 27-year old outfielder Daniel Nava has burst onto the scene for the Red Sox in his first taste of the majors this year. Nava has played in 24 games for the Red Sox this season and he is 24 of 80 (.300 avg, .858 OPS) with 13 runs scored, 1 homer and 16 RBIs. The Red Sox hope he can keep up the good work. 25-year old righty starting pitcher Clay Buchholz is rewarding the Red Sox for their patience in him and unwillingness to trade him in the past. Buchholz has started 15 games for the Red Sox this year and he is 10-4 with a 2.45 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP.

Disappointments: Josh Beckett has been injured most of his season but he has been awful when healthy. Beckett has started 8 games this season for the Red Sox and he is 1-1 with a 7.29 ERA and a 1.66 WHIP. He has given up 57 hits in 45 2/3 innings so far this season. As poorly as he’s pitched so far this season the Red Sox still need him back so they can put Tim Wakefield back in the pen. 34-year old lefty reliever Hideki Okajima has been awful this season for the Red Sox. Okajima has pitched in 34 games for the Red Sox this year and he is 2-2 with a 6.00 ERA and a 1.89 WHIP. He has given up 38 hits (5 homers) and he has walked 13 batters in only 27 innings for the Red Sox this year. It’s getting to the point where the Red Sox might turn him into a mop up man soon. 37-year old righty swinging Mike Cameron was supposed to be the starting CF for the Red Sox this season. He has been banged up most of this season and he just doesn’t look good in the field of at the plate this year. Cameron has played in 37 games for the Red Sox this year and he is 34 of 120 (.283 avg, .758 OPS) with 19 runs scored, 3 homers and 14 RBIs.

The Red Sox lost this morning to the Rays and they are now 4-9 on the year which has them in 4th place in the A.L. East, 6 games behind the Rays. The Rays swept the Red Sox at Fenway Park this weekend outscoring them 24-9! The Red Sox have been outscored 69-50 this season as nothing has went as planned for the team. The Red Sox have played downright awful defense this season and they just have not hit the ball well with the exception of Dustin Pedroia. The Red Sox need to turn things around this week as they have three home games against the Rangers and Orioles.

The Red Sox took two out of three games over the weekend against the Royals in K.C. to improve to 3-3 on the season. The Red Sox are tied with the Rays for third place in the A.L. East, 2 games behind the division leading Toronto Blue Jays. It doesn’t get any easier this week as the Red Sox tangle with the Twins in Minnesota early in the week then they come home for the weekend against the Rays.