The Red Sox First Half

Lyford does an excellent analysis of what the Red Sox have accomplished so far in the first half of the season.

One thing I think he's overlooked though is the contribution Mark Loretta has made to this year's team. Last year Mark Bellhorn was the regular 2nd baseman for the Sox. Take a looks at what a HUGE difference Loretta has made:

Bellhorn 2005 - 85 G / 283 AB / .216 BA / .328 OBP
Loretta 2006 - 78 G / 327 AB / .312 BA / .354 OBP

To me the top 5 reasons the Red Sox are in first place right now are:

1. Jonathan Papelbon being the best closer in MLB for the first half
2. Curt Schilling returning to being an ace
3. The addition of Kevin Youkilis as a starter (and conversely the subtraction of Kevin Millar)
4. The addition of Mark Loretta at 2nd
5. A healthy Trot Nixon putting up contract year type stats