The Padres finished up the first half of the 2011 season with a 40-52 record which has them in last place in the N.L. West, 12 games behind the Giants. The Padres are also 14 games behind the Braves for the Wild Card in the N.L. The Padres are going to be sellers at the end of this month as they could go into a full rebuilding mode. Here is a look at the players who had the biggest impact for the Padres in the first half of 2011:

Team MVP: 32-year old righty swinging LF Ryan Ludwick has been easily the most productive hitter in the Padres’ lineup. Ludwick has played in 87 games for the Padres so far this year and he is 80 for 326 (.245 avg, .700 OPS) with 37 runs scored, 11 homers, 55 RBIs and 1 stolen base. Ludwick is the only Padres player with more than 31 RBIs (Chase Headley has 31) so far this year. The bad news for Padres’ fans is that Ludwick’s name is all over the rumor mill.

Biggest Surprise: 30-year old righty swinging outfielder Chris Denorfia wasn’t supposed to get a lot of P.T. this year but due to the utter lack of hitting, he has gotten to play quite a bit. Denorfia has played in 79 games for the Padres so far this year and he is 61 for 216 (.282 avg, .752 OPS) with 26 runs scored, 5 homers, 15 RBIs and 8 stolen bases.

Biggest Disappointment: 28-year old lefty swinging RF Will Venable had a breakout year in 2010 and the Padres were depending on improvement from him in 2011. That has not been the case. Venable has played in 66 games so far this year for the Padres and he was 47 for 194 (.242 avg, .640 OPS) with 22 runs scored, 2 homers, 14 RBIs and 15 stolen bases.

The Padres went into St. Louis over the weekend and they won 2 out of 3 games which was pretty darn impressive. They outscored the Cardinals 16-8 over the weekend despite only hitting .208 as a team with a .632 OPS. The Padres pitched outstanding against the Cardinals who usually have a pretty good offense. Bud Black is already starting to work his magic with the Padres and he will need that to continue working in his favor for the whole 2011 season.

The Padres are 51-37 on the season which has them in first place in the N.L. West, 2 games ahead of the Dodgers and Rockies. The Padres have had their share of surprises and disappointments this season and here’s a quicker look at them:

Pleasant Suprises: 26-year old switch hitting Chase Headley hasn’t been a star but he has been productive this season for the Padres. Headley has played in 87 games for the Padres this year and he is 94 of 349 (.269 avg, .686 OPS) with 48 runs scored, 6 homers, 31 RBIs and 11 stolen bases. 22-year old righty starting pitcher Mat Latos was been incredible this year for the Padres. He has started 17 games this season and he is 10-4 with a 2.45 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP. He has only given up 75 hits in 106 2/3 innings this season for the Padres! 25-year old lefty Wade LeBlanc hasn’t had a lot of run support this year but he’s throwing well anyway. LeBlanc has started 16 games for the Padres this year and he is 4-7 with a 3.30 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP. 28-year old righty Tim Stauffer was pitching incredible ball before getting injured. He has pitched in 11 games (1 start) for the Padres this season and he is 2-1 with a 0.37 ERA and a 0.90 WHIP.

Disappointments: Kevin Correia was the Padres’ best starting pitcher last season but this year he has been their worst. Correia has started 17 games for the Padres this year and he is 5-6 with a 5.26 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP. Correia has walked 41 batters and allowed 14 homers in only 92 1/3 innings for the Padres this year. 23-year old switch hitting Everth Cabrera has been awful this season for the Padres when healthy. Cabrera has played in 40 games for the Padres this year and he is 28 of 141 (.199 avg, .538 OPS) with 13 runs scored, 1 homer, 16 RBIs and 7 stolen bases. 23-year old righty swinging LF Kyle Blanks was supposed to start in LF and provide protection for Adrian Gonzalez in the batting order. Neither of those things happened and he’s back in the minors. Blanks has played in 33 games for the Padres this year and he is 16 of 102 (.157 avg, .607 OPS) with 14 runs scored, 3 homers and 15 RBIs. Blanks has also whiffed 46 times this season which is incredible! 27-year old lefty swinging outfielder Tony Gwynn Jr. certainly hasn’t been a chip off the old block. Gwynn has played in 76 games for the Padres this year and he is 49 of 222 (.221 avg, .630 OPS) with 22 runs scored, 2 homers, 16 RBIs and 13 stolen bases.

The Padres swept the Arizona Diamonbacks over the weekend to improve to 6-6 on the season. They are tied for 2nd place with the Dodgers and Rockies, 2 games behind the Giants in the N.L. West. The Padres have three games at home against the Giants before traveling to Cincy this coming up weekend to deal with the Reds. The Padres will continue to win as long as they keep hitting like they are right now because the pitching staff is solid.

The Padres are off to a 2-4 start to the 2010 season as they have been outscored 29-19 so far this year. They are only hitting .218 with a .630 OPS and that just is not good enough. If they don’t start hitting soon it’s going to be a long year for Padres’ fans. The Padres will host the Braves this week for three games and the D-Backs this weekend for 3 games.