RADIO
Welcome back, RotoBallers! KBO makes its return after a one-day hiatus and both FanDuel and DraftKings have some huge prize-pool GPP tournaments posted for entry. These last few months without our usual professional sports have been rough, but we can take solace in the fact that DFS contests haven't stopped and KBO has provided us with some exciting content in what has become an unusually empty summer (sincere apologies to UFC and PGA).
My general strategy is to keep an eye on the betting lines found at Bovada and identify potential SP's and hitter stacks to target from there. If you have the ability to stay up until an hour before lock, do yourself a huge favor and check out RotoWire's daily lineups to make sure you're playing guys who are actually starting. Let's get into the slate!
Reminder: the FanDuel and DraftKings slates lock at 4:30 AM (CT) on Tuesday, June 30. Follow me @kringstad19 (and my fellow KBO analysts @ehatch1990DFS or @MarkStrausberg. You can also find our betting picks).
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KBO DFS Pitchers
If it seems that there is one starting pitcher who's matchup and statistics stand out above the rest, you'd be correct. Gi-yeong Im (KIA Starting P: $28 FanDuel, $7800 DraftKings) will be squaring off against the offensively-challenged Hanwha Eagles at home. KIA is favored by 1.5 runs in a game with the lowest total on the slate (8.5 runs), and KIA's home stadium ranks in the middle in terms of park factor. Im has a sparkling 2.91 ERA that's backed up by a 3.13 FIP, he doesn't give up walks, and he has the third-highest K% on the slate. Im should have no trouble rolling through the Eagles tonight and he's a recommended play in both cash and GPP lineups. However, thanks to his matchup and peripherals, he will likely be popular. Which brings us to...
Min-Ho Lee (LG Starting P: $26 Fanduel, $7200 DraftKings) is another solid starting pitcher option. He has been excellent this season, posting a 1.59 ERA and a .186 batting average against over 28 and 1/3 innings pitched. He also has a 3.57 FIP, indicating that his strong performances have been legitimate. He's facing a decent offense in the KT Wiz, but they strike out at a high clip and that pairs well with Lee's 18.1% K%. He's a solid cash and GPP option on both sites.
Chae-heung Choi (SAM Starting P: $27 FanDuel, $7400 DraftKings) is not for the faint of heart - he has given up 1.16 HR/9 (2nd-highest on the slate), 4.19 BB/9, and his FIP (5.38) heavily contradicts his ERA (3.96), which is never a good sign. He's also toeing the rubber at his home park, which ranks as the most productive park in the KBO for offensive production. However, he is facing the SK Wyverns, who are the league's second-worst offense and hold a 2-8 record over their last 10 games. They have put up zero runs in their last two contests, which speaks volumes. This game has the lowest projected run total on the slate, and Choi and the Lions are currently 1.5-run favorites. Choi could be a nice leverage play over Im and should only be a GPP option.
*Longshot GPP Play* - Jong-hun Park (SK Starting P):
If you really like to play with fire and save salary at the same time, than Jong-hun Park (SK Starting P: $21 FanDuel, $8200 DraftKings) is the pitcher for you. As evidenced above, his numbers are not exactly pretty. He's 3-3 with a 5.81 ERA (third-highest on the slate), and his 3.75 BB/9 and 0.94 HR/9 are definitely on the higher side. He'll also be pitching at the #1 ranked park in terms of Park Factor. Now let's get to the good stuff. He has the second-highest K% on the slate at 22.8%, which is obviously something we like to target in KBO DFS. His 4.36 FIP suggest that he has pitched better than his lofty ERA indicates. Lastly, Park's biggest weakness, giving up the longball, shouldn't be a huge problem against the homer-averse Samsung Lions squad (they rank just sixth in HR/game and don't have a player with over six home runs.) Roll him out in multi-entry GPP's in order to give you the freedom of getting to the more expensive bats on the slate.
It should be noted that Jong-hun Park is a much better value on FanDuel, where he comes in as the lowest-salaried starting pitcher option.
KBO Top Hitter Stacks
Ideally, you'd like to target offenses in the highest run total games who are facing pitchers (and bullpens) that are likely to give up a crooked number. On this slate, that appears to be Doosan, NC, and LG, though there are definitely mini-stacks to target from other teams.
Doosan Bears
This is the most explosive offense in the KBO, and they're facing a pitcher in Seung-ho Lee who has been decent, but certainly not great, this season. Lee has a 4.89 ERA and has been superb in his last three starts, holding LG, Lotte, and NC to just two earned runs combined. He also hasn't given up a home run in his last four starts and has allowed just five long-balls all season. That being said, Doosan is an entirely different beast and they're in a prime spot to blow him up on Tuesday. Their right-handed hitters get the platoon advantage against the southpaw Lee.
Kun-Woo Park ($13, $3800) - Park has been hot with double-digit fantasy points in four of his last six starts. He has the platoon advantage as a right-handed hitter and usually bats in the top-half of an absolutely stacked lineup.
Kyoung-Min Hur ($8, $2900) - Hur has hit leadoff each of the past three games and had a two-homer game on 6/25. Ride him while he's hot and in a prime spot in the order - he also has a platoon-advantage.
The usual suspects Jose Miguel Fernandez ($17, $5800) and Jae-Hwan Kim ($17, $5200) are in play if you can fit them, as are Jae-Il Oh ($15, $4000) and the underpriced Joo-Hwan Choi ($13, $3100)
NC Dinos
NC is another team with a high-run total, but they're facing a veteran reliever who's making his first start of the season (and fourth of his career) in Lotte's Dae-woo Kim. Kim has pitched just 15 and 2/3 innings this year and hasn't given up a home run, but his relatively high ERA, BB/9, and WHIP suggest that he'll have trouble with the Dinos' stacked lineup. Kim throws right-handed, so stacking left-handed hitters on NC is the ideal play.
Sung-bum Na ($18, $6100) - if you can afford to fit Na's bat, that's the recommended play. He's hitting .300/.380/.593 with 13 home runs, 37 runs scored, and 41 RBI. He's the engine of this offense and he gains the platoon-advantage being a left-handed hitter.
Aaron Altherr ($16, $5500) - Altherr holds the highest ISO (.301) on the team and is keeping pace with Na with 12 home runs on the year. He also adds a speed element as he has eight total stolen bases.
Min-Woo Park ($12, $5200) - Park generally hits leadoff for the hot-hitting Dinos, which has plenty of value itself. Add in the fact that Park is hitting .310/.361/.454 with solid counting stats and five steals, and you have yourself a great value DFS option.
Myung-gi Lee ($9, $3700) is a lefty and deserves consideration if he's starting, as does Hee-Dong Kwon ($7, $2900).
Eui-Ji Yang ($14, $6100) and Jin-Sung Kang ($15, $4900) deserve a spot in your player pool as well.
The Twins might go slightly overlooked as they are playing at home, which is the worst park for offensive production via Park Factor. They will face off against Min-su Kim, who is arguably the worst starting pitcher on the slate. He's only making his fifth start, so his numbers are from a small sample size, but he holds a slate-worst 6.41 ERA, 13.6% K%, and a .364 batting average against. He doesn't walk many batters but he does give up the long-ball at a rate of 1.01 HR/9.
Ji-Hwan Oh ($9, $3400) - a unique blend (for the KBO) of power (three home runs) and speed (nine steals) for very cheap.
Kang-Nam Yoo ($10, $4500) - usually hits in the five-spot (behind Ramos), has a .291 average, four homers, and 31 RBI on the season.
Roberto Ramos ($17, $5600) - second in the KBO in home runs (13) and holds the fourth-highest ISO (.309) among qualified hitters.
Hyun-Soo Kim ($15, $5300) - hits third in the order and holds a .340/.381/.515 slash line. Has 17 doubles on the year (ranking second in the KBO).
Other stacks/hitters to consider:
- Samsung is facing Jong-hun Park, who has terrible numbers on the year, at the best park for offensive production. Tyler Saladino ($13, $4500) is the only "expensive" bat in the lineup, and he may not start due to a back injury. The Lions have a real shot at blowing up tonight, despite the low projected run total. Target Dong-Yeop Kim ($8, $3300), Min-Ho Kang ($7, $3800), and Ja-wook Koo ($9, $4700) in the tasty matchup.
- A few Kiwoom bats could be useful against the Doosan Bears' Hee-kwan Yoo. Yoo has a 5-1 record but a 4.66 ERA, 5.45 FIP, 7.6% K%, and he gives up 0.97 HR/9. Byung-Ho Park ($14, $4300), Ha-seong Kim ($16, $5300), Dong-won Park ($9, $5200), and Jung-hoo Lee ($14, $4700) are all solid options tonight as one-offs or mini-stacks.
Good luck in your KBO DFS lineups tonight!
