The Cleveland Indians had a pretty decent first half of the season in 2012.  They finished in second place in the A.L. Central with a 44-40 record, just three games behind the division leading Chicago White Sox.  Here are the players that made the biggest impacts in the first half of the 2012 season, in my eyes:

Team MVP:  Jason Kipnis – 25-year old lefty swinging 2B Jason Kipnis should have made it to the All-Star team from the Tribe.  He played in 83 games for the Indians in the first  half of the 2012 season and he was 91 of 329 (.277 avg, .765 OPS) with 53 runs scored, 11 homers, 49 RBIs and 20 stolen bases.  The Indians need him to keep rolling with the bat in the second half.

Biggest Surprise:  Jose Lopez – The Indians sent 28-year old righty swinging infielder Jose Lopez to AAA-ball earlier this year, but he earned his way back and he has been solid since then.  Lopez played in 48 games for the Indians in the first half of the 2012 season and he was 43 of 161 (.267 avg, .712 OPS) with 13 runs scored, 4 homers and 27 RBIs.  The Indians hope that Lopez keeps hitting well as he will continue to get a lot of P.T. due to his versatility in the field.

Biggest Disappointment:  Carlos Santana -  26-year old switch-hitting catcher Carlos Santana was being counted on to be one of the Indians best hitters in 2012, but it just isn’t happening quite yet.  Santana has played in 69 games for the Indians so far this year and he is 54 of 244 (.221 avg, .675 OPS) with 31 runs scored, 5 homers, 30 RBIs and 2 stolen bases.  The Indians are going to need Santana to step up in the second half with the bat if they are going to make a serious run at a division title in 2012.