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Welcome back, RotoBallers, to another KBO DFS column. Have you caught KBO fever yet? It’s only been a week but I’ve been enjoying these games and digging in deep to research these teams and players for you!
New to KBO? DraftKings and FanDuel will use the same scoring system that they do for MLB, however, the roster builds are much different on FanDuel. You must roster two infielders, two outfielders, and two utility players along with a pitcher for a total of only seven players on FanDuel. DraftKings has kept its normal MLB structure with two starting pitchers and an entire eight-hitter lineup for a total of ten players. Building lineups on each site is going to be very different.
Today, I'll be providing my KBO DFS lineup picks and analysis for this five-game slate on DraftKings and FanDuel that locks at 5:30 AM on Wednesday, May 13, 2020. Both DraftKings and FanDuel have large contests with big top prizes. DraftKings' largest contest has a top prize of $20K to first and FanDuel has a contest with a top prize of $10K to first. Make sure you are also following me @Grownfool on Twitter!
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KBO DFS Pitchers
Strikeout rates are much lower in KBO. An average MLB K% would be among the league leaders in KBO. The lower strikeout numbers make innings and wins much more important for KBO DFS. Most of the league leaders in innings pitched last season were foreign pitchers. In the first week, many pitchers threw limited innings due to an abbreviated exhibition game schedule and 14 day quarantines for foreign starters when they returned in late March. All of the foreign pitchers starting today threw at least 80 pitches in their last start so all should be good for 90-100 pitches. This is Chan Gyu Lim's first start of the season. Lim pitched in two exhibition games and threw 68 pitches in the second start. Lim's could potentially be limited to five to six innings.
Shi Hwan Jang - Hanwha Starting P ($6500 DraftKings / $23 FanDuel)
Jang struck out six in six innings his first start. Last season, Jang had a walk rate of 10.2%, a 1.64 WHIP, and only nine quality starts. Jang is most viable as a second pitcher on DraftKings. The salary savings allows you to pay up for bats and Jang should have enough strikeout upside to make up for the high WHIP.
Chang Gyu Lim - LG Starting P ($7200 DraftKings / $20 FanDuel )
Lim is pitching at home and facing off against the Wyverns who are among the league leaders in strikeouts. Last season Lim had an 18.4% K rate which is above average for KBO. There is risk that Lim will pitch limited innings but he is too cheap on FanDuel to ignore.
Other starters to consider are:
- Ricardo Pinto - SK Starting P ($7900 DraftKings / $24 FanDuel )
- Mike Wright - NC Starting P ($8500 DraftKings / $27 FanDuel)
KBO Top Hitter Stacks
KBO de-juiced the ball last season and power numbers declined. Home runs are way up so far and it looks like the juice is back. Build stacks centered around middle of the order power hitters or top of the order speed. Don't overlook hitters batting sixth and seventh especially in top offenses. Some teams also have hitters with speed batting eighth or ninth that function almost like second leadoff hitters.
NC Dinos
The Wiz have given up seven HRs so far including one from Cuevas and four from the bullpen. The Dinos lead the league in HRs. Need I say more?
The Dinos have been bitten by the injury bug. Chang Min Mo is out for two weeks with a shoulder injury. Aaron Altherr continues to play through hand soreness and is 2 for 9 with no extra-base hits in the last two games. Altherr started the first two games and came in off the bench for the next two. Eui Ji Yang left Sunday's game with a hamstring injury and came in off the bench in yesterday's game. He went 0-2.
The Dinos have a deep lineup with power threats beyond those who may not be 100 percent due to nagging injuries. Suk Min Park has three HRs including two hit yesterday. Sung Bum Na and Jin Hyuk No both have two HRs. All three have an ISO over .250. Min Woo Park hits leadoff and led the team in steals last season with 18. Myung Gi Lee has hit second for the past four games after batting ninth in the first two and has a .395 wOBA.
- Suk Min Park - 3B ($4500 DraftKings / $10 FanDuel)
- Sung Bum Na - OF ($3800 DraftKings / $12 FanDuel)
- Jin Hyuk No - 2B/3B ($3100 DraftKings / $9 FanDuel)
- Min Woo Park - 2B ($4200 DraftKings /$14 FanDuel)
- Myung Gi Lee - OF ($3700 DraftKings / $10 FanDuel)
Kiwoom Heroes
David Buchanan gave up five runs on six hits including a home run in his first start. Last season he pitched in NPB and had a 1.52 WHIP and also spent part of the season in their minor leagues. Byungho Park, Jung Ho Lee , and Dong Won Park are middle of the order power bats. Ha Seong Kim led the team in steals last season and already has a SB and a HR this season. Keon Chong Seo leads off and has speed and doubles power. So far this season, Seo has two extra-base hits and a steal.
- Byung Ho Park - 1B ($5500 DraftKings / $15 FanDuel)
- Jung Ho Lee - OF ($4600 DraftKings / $14 FanDuel)
- Ha Seong Kim - SS ($5100 DraftKings / $14 FanDuel)
- Keon Chong Seo - 1B/2B ($2700 DraftKings / $11 FanDuel)
- Dong Won Park - C ($4400 DraftKings / $8 FanDuel)
Other stacks to consider:
- Doosan Bears
- KT Wiz
Conclusion
- Starting lineups will not be released until one hour before lock. Note the start time of these contests and be prepared to stay up late or get up early. Most lineups have been close to what we expected for most teams especially the top and middle of the order.
- Go easy on these early in the season slates and have some fun with it. There's going to be a learning curve here for everyone with a new sport like this and you don't want to play more bankroll than you're comfortable with on players you've never heard of before.
- Use familiar MLB DFS strategies like stacking and picking on bad pitchers. Once we get to know these teams better and get more data on hitters and pitchers we should be able to have a better indication of who we want to target on a nightly basis.
- Good luck and have some fun! Just be thankful that baseball, in some form, is back!
More Fantasy Baseball Analysis
