Fantasy Baseball's Dirty Half-Dozen: Infielders

(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

To the 95 percent of people who drafted David Ortiz, and haven't gotten rid of him: This is your wake-up call. Ortiz is batting .220, still hasn't homered, and has an OPS of .650. Juan Pierre has a better OPS.

Yes, you read that right. Juan Pierre. In other news, Phoenix is a ski resort because Hell froze over this weekend.

And if you were taken in by Marco Scutaro's hot start, don't worry, you're not alone. There are many still depending on the burst he showed in April, none of whom are paying enough attention to his career .262 BA; as if that's not enough, he's never had double-digit homers or steals in a season.

He might get both this year, but I'd wager he won't even go 15-15.

But what, you ask, do I do now, then? How do I fix the horrendous holes?

Well, that's what the Dirty Half-Dozen is here for.

Here, my friends, are six under-the-radar fantasy infielders who could provide some instant lift.

Todd Helton, 1B, Rockies (Available in 52 percent of Yahoo! Leagues/49 percent ESPN)

Back during Spring Training, there were whispers coming out of Rockies' camp that heralded the Return of Helton. It was said that the back surgery he had during the offseason had worked miracles on his swing, that it had taken five years off his age. Sure enough, about two weeks into the season, the hits began falling. Everywhere.

Helton is presently swinging one heavy piece of lumber, batting .351 with an OPS of .938. And before you claim those are just empty averages, and that his power left him long ago, Helton's already sent four souvenirs into the stands and driven in 21 runs.

There's still something left in that bat, apparently, and he says he hasn't felt this good in years. Sure his average will come down a bit, but you're still looking at a man toting a .329 career average and eight 20-homer seasons.

If both he and the scouts agree this is the best he's looked in years (and they do), you might want to snag him—fast. Helton's experienced a 27 percent jump in ownership on ESPN in the last week, and it's not because the Rockies are suddenly fashionable.

Hank Blalock, 1B/3B/DH, Rangers (32 percent Yahoo!/35 percent ESPN)

On the other hand, if you've got a team short on power but long on average, Blalock might be a solid pickup for you. His .252 BA might look a little scary, but his .571 slugging percentage tells the truth: Blalock has had his homer swing going all season.

He's gotten a quick 10 HRs and 24 RBI, which has him on pace for a remarkable 50 HR and 120 RBI. Expect him to fall off that pace, but realize that a solid 30+/90+ season is not out of Blalock's reach if he's healthy, especially with some of the other hitters in that Rangers lineup.

But don't expect his average to carry you; Blalock's a career .274 hitter, so you might want a few contact hitters to offset some of the damage he could do.

Casey Blake, 1B/3B, Dodgers (72 percent Yahoo!/87 percent ESPN)

Just in case Blalock's not available, there's still Casey Blake. Blake doesn't pack quite

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