The Chicago White Sox finished the first half of the 2012 season with a 47-37 record, which has them in first place in the A.L. Central, 3 games ahead of the Indians and 4.5 games ahead of the Tigers. Here is a look at the players that made the biggest impacts for the White Sox in the first half of the 2012 season:

Team MVP: Chris Sale - 23-year old lefty starting pitcher Chris Sale has been awesome for the White Sox so far this year. He has pitched in 16 games (15 starts) for the Pale Hose so far this year and he is 10-2 with a 2.19 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP. Sale has only given up 73 hits and 25 walks while whiffing 98 batters in his first 102 2/3 innings this year, and those are outstanding numbers. The White Sox need Sale to keep up the good work in the second half of the year.

Biggest Surprise: A.J. Pierzynski - 36-year old lefty swinging catcher A.J. Pierzynski is showing off outstanding power so far this year. He has played in 73 games for the Pale Hose so far this year and he is 74 of 260 (.285 avg, .865 OPS) with 39 runs scored, 16 homers and 49 RBIs. His career high for homers is 18 and he’s going to smash that record this year as long as he stays healthy.

Biggest Disappointment: Brent Morel - 25-year old righty swinging 3B Brent Morel finished last year strongly, causing the White Sox to put a lot of faith in him. But, he was dismal this year before getting injured, causing the Pale Hose to deal for Kevin Youkilis (an outstanding move). Morel has played in 35 games for the White Sox so far this year and he is 20 for 113 (.177 avg, .420 OPS) with 14 runs scored, 0 homers, 5 RBIs and 4 stolen bases.