The first half of the 2009 Major League Baseball season is complete.

The Boston Red Sox are still good (we saw that coming). The San Diego Padres are still awful (also predictable), and the Pittsburgh Pirates made 342 trades (which wasn’t easy to see coming).

With the Home Run Derby a day away, I figured I’d spend the evening ranking the five best playrers in baseball from the first half of the season. After much consideration, here is what I came up with.

5. Prince Fielder, Milwaukee Brewers

The big fella’s 78 RBI are second in baseball to only Albert Pujols, who doesn’t even count because he’s not mortal. Fielder’s hitting .315, which is 31 points above his career average, and he’s belted 22 home runs. He’s already walked more times (67) than he did in all of 2006, when he played in 159 games, and he’s got nine more hits than he’s  played in games. Not buying him as a top-5 player in baseball in the first half? Let me ask you just one question. Where would the Brewers be without Prince?

4. Tim Lincecum, San Francisco Giants

Lincecum is leading the majors in strikeouts (149), he’s tied for second in the big leagues in wins (10), and his 2.33 ERA ranks second in the National League and third in all of baseball. Having just turned 25 last month, Lincecum is following up his 2008 Cy Young Award winning season in style. He’s yielded two or fewer runs in eight of his last ten starts and he’s tossed three complete games (two were shutouts). “The Freak” won 18 games a year ago. He’ll probably win more than that this year.

3. Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins

Mauer only played in 63 games in the first-half because of the back problems he had in the offseason that lingered into spring training and the early part of the season. Somehow though, the former #1 overall pick already has 90 hits. He’s got the highest batting average in baseball by 20 points, he’s walked four more times than he’s struck out, and he’s getting on base at a about a .460 clip. Mauer’s OPS is closer to 1100 than it is 1050, and in addition to having the best sideburns in all of baseball (Brady Anderson is smiling somewhere), Mauer is also the game’s toughest out.

2. Zack Grienke, Kansas City Royals

Greinke has been more human lately than he was early on in 2009, but he’s still had a first-half that will be tough to replicate for as long as he’s pitching in the big leagues. The Royals’ ace posted the American League’s best ERA in the first half (2.12). The only pitcher who had a better ERA in all of baseball was Arizona Diamondbacks hurler Dan Harren. Greinke’s WHIP is barely over one (1.08), and he’s already tossed five complete games. There will be teams that don’t get five complete games as a whole this season. What’s most impressive about what Kansas City’s right-hander has accomplished so far this season is that Greinke’s been this good on a bad team. It’s not easy to stay at your best consistently while your team continues to struggle. But you wouldn’t know that by watching Greinke, who is 10-5 with 129 strikeouts in 127.1 innings.

1. Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals

Pujols’ first half hasn’t just been impressive. It’s been historic. He’s a legitimate contender for the triple crown, an award that hasn’t been won since way back in 1967. If he wins the triple crown Pujols would be the first National Leaguer to accomplish the feat since Joe Medwick did it back in 1937. You remember Joe, right? Anyways… Pujols is drawing a walk every fourth at bat and he’s walked more times (71) than he’s struck out (35). The reigning NL MVP is on pace to walk 131 times, to cllub 59 home runs and to drive in 156. His 1199 OPS is other-worldly and he’s just starting to get protection in the Cardinal lineup. Ryan Ludwick has been killing the ball in July after starting slowly. If he stays hot and plays at a level comparable to his efforts from last season (when he hit 37 home runs and knocked in 113 runs), Pujols is going to record the type of season that we’ll still be talking about in three or four decades.