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2014 Fantasy Baseball, Daily Double Switch for April 16th

The Daily Double Switch for Draftstreet is back and ready to give you a direct look into how I’m viewing MLB players tonight. There are 16 games today and some confusing MLB slates so beware. Make sure you know the slate you have joined and subsequently which doubleheader starter is pitching in that game. I’m going to write up the whole day’s games and my lineup will be what I would target for a full slate of games.

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Starting Pitchers

There are plenty of ways to go with pitching today. A guy like Masahiro Tanaka is my top pitcher and he isn’t even in the top three in terms of prices. He faces a Cubs team that isn’t that great and he has high strikeout upside. Yu Darvish will cost you a bundle, but that Seattle offense hasn’t been stellar lately.

In terms of value pitchers, Julio Teheran can somewhat be considered one. He’ll cost you just under 15k, but has a great matchup against Philadelphia, who just got dominated by Ervin Santana. My favorite value pitcher has to be Jeremy Guthrie today. I liked him last week and think he can do some damage against that weak Astros lineup. He doesn’t strikeout a lot of batters, but should come away with the win and a low earned run total.

Tonight might be a night to get some closers in your lineup as a guy like Darvish is 25k. If you go that route, beware that Craig Kimbrel has had a sore shoulder. I do think he’s a great choice if they say he’s fine to pitch. Joe Nathan has struggled so far this season, but should get another save opportunity tonight against Cleveland.

Catchers

Tonight is a tough night for catchers. I’ll likely go value and grab my typical Alex Avila who sat some games on the west coast road trip due to no DH, but should be back catching tonight. Zach McAllister is not a threatening pitcher. If you want to pay up then look at a guy like Matt Wieters. He’s hitting .368 on the season with three home runs and faces the young Jake Odorizzi. Another expensive option to like is Devin Mesoraco. He had three hits last night to bump his average to .500 on the season and faces a lefty who he has had success in his short career against.

First Basemen

I haven’t been on Albert Pujols this season, but tonight is the night for him and I to combine our powers. He has had great success against Milone (7 for 14 with 6 doubles) and quietly has four home runs this season. If you’re not a fan of Teheran then Ryan Howard should be considered. He has hit a home run in two straight games and has historically loved hitting at home much more than on the road. Don’t look now, but Adam Dunn is hitting over .300 and has three home runs. He added one last night and faces another righty. Chris Davis’ price is ridiculously low, so be aware of that coming into today’s baseball.

Second Basemen

My man love for Dee Gordon is showing through the screen right now I’m sure. What’s not to love about a leadoff hitter who is hitting .351 with ten stolen bases this season? He’s going to be a part of one of my favorite stacks as the Dodgers face Ryan Vogelsong. Jedd Gyorko is a great cheap option tonight against Jorge De La Rosa whom he has great splits versus (6 for 7). He has a hit in four of his last fie games. Neil Walker is hot hot hot right now. Not much reason to explain why I like him, but do know his matchup against Johnny Cueto is another good one for him.

Third Basemen

Juan Uribe needs to be seriously considered for his under 6k price on Draftstreet today. He had a home run last night and is hitting .400 on the season. I love Dodgers tonight! There are so many great choices from high-end options tonight. I love guys like Josh Donaldson vs the young LHP, Aramis Ramirez in that hot Brew Crew lineup, and David Wright who has a seven-game hitting sreak and should be in a high scoring affair.

Shortstop

JJ Hardy and Adeiny Hechavarria are two cheaper options that I like with their recent success and their matchups against young pitchers today. Chris Owings is also cheaper and has five hits and two walks in his last three games. He might be my favorite of the three cheap options I’m looking at. For high priced guys, it’s hard to pass on either Ramirez (Hanley and Alexei). They’re hitting extremely well and have shown some power lately.

Outfielders

There are plenty of Giants’ hitters in play and it includes guys like Angel Pagan and Michael Morse. Both are hitting great this season and have a great matchup against Paul Maholm. Giancarlo Stanton is hitting unbelievable right now with so much power. He’s a great option each night out, but especially against a young guy like Tanner Roark.

Shin-Soo Choo has seen his price go under 6k even though he’s hitting .311 on the season. Don’t be scared off of the Felix Hernandez matchup. Hernandez has struggled mightily against Texas in the last three seasons. Eric Young Jr. is only hitting .277 on the season, but he has five hits in his last eight at bats. The matchup is great again tonight and he’ll be adding to his seven stolen bases tonight. Matt Joyce is likely to be a low oned player, but with his matchup against Miguel Gonzalez there’s reason to go with Joyce. He’s hitting .300 on the season and Gonzalez has struggled so far this season.

Lineup

Screen shot 2014-04-16 at 9.45.35 AM

Weather

TOR/MIN- Rain 70-80%
STL/MIL- Wind 20mph in from RF
BOS/CWS- Wind 19mph in from RF

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