RADIO
Welcome back RotoBallers! There’s a good chance that your mother told you, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all.“ Well, mine did too. But I prefer the words of Alice Roosevelt Longworth who changed the second part to "...then come sit next to me". Because the reality is that's how I feel about 6/27/20 KBO DFS slate.
There is a lot to not like about this slate. But if I kept my thoughts to myself, what good would that do you? And let me be even more blunt: I am going to be sleeping both long before and long after this slate locks. Admittedly, I've done far better when I am awake for the slate start. But I need to catch up on my sleep, so I'll be fast asleep when this slate locks at 4:00 AM on Saturday, June 27, 2020.
And while we are talking about timing, I do want to apologize about my Rucinski recommendation last week. I wrote my article earlier in the day when he was the projected starter. However, not long after I submitted my article, there was a pitching change. However, I "disconnected" from any updates shortly after submitting my article that afternoon and it wasn't until close to lineup lock I learned there were some changes. However, other than catching up on my sleep, I promise to be less busy this weekend. Therefore, make sure you are also following me @MarkStrausberg for my KBO and other picks on Twitter in case I post some changes!
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KBO DFS Pitchers
My favorite pitcher tonight is Raul Alcantra (DK $8600, FD $27). He has solid numbers on the year (a 7-1 record, 3.70 ERA, and 47 Ks). He has pitched really well of late, including his last time on the bump when he was three outs short of a CG, a near-unheard of in the KBO. Some might fear his matchup against the Dinos. However, he pitched really well against them previously, holding them to just one run over seven innings. He's not cheap on either site, but he is fairly priced. I've now said something nice. But we now get to the part that Teddy's daughter might appreciate more if we move to the pricier options on the slate.
Eric Jokisch ($9400, $27) and Hyun Jong Yang ($9700, $22) are overpriced. If nothing else, they are facing one another, which will make the odds of either one getting a win more difficult than some of the other options tonight. Yang has looked lights-out at times. Other times, it would be better had we not turned the light on in the first place. And that includes his most recent outing when he was tagged for seven earned runs (and eight total runs) in four innings. That is #notgood. The good news is that I doubt he can pitch much worse tonight. I know that’s not quite a ringing endorsement.
I do like Jokisch better and I've been driving his bandwagon all season. Unlike Yang, he's coming off one of his better outings against SK earlier in the week. But the Wyverns lineup ain't exactly the '27 NY Yankees. And in the three outings before that, Jokisch had only seven combined strikeouts. Jokisch is one of my favorite pitchers in the KBO, but he's priced too close to his ceiling tonight. Furthermore, I expect him to be heavily owned tonight. I could stomach both of those facts if I thought Jokisch was going to hit his ceiling, yet I think we something closer to his average tonight.
In fact, I might just stick with Alcantra in all my FanDuel lineups tonight. However, since we need two SPs on DK, I'm going to save some salary for my SP2. Adrian Sampson($8400), like Jokisch, is still a little overpriced. However, his ownership levels should be lower and for a grand less, I'm buying his upside against the Lions tonight. Many will be scared off by his 5.96 ERA and 1.64 WHIP. Good. Because he pitched an absolute beauty last time out, throwing six innings of no run ball and punching out seven.
Adrian Sampson had it all working today:
6 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 7 K pic.twitter.com/2DbjaghAoN
— Alex Fast (@AlexFast8) June 20, 2020
Last time in this space I mentioned Sampson is a better pitcher than his stats, he had an ERA over 7. He's obviously chiseled that down quite a bit and tonight will further prove that argument.
Other starters to consider are:
- William Cuevas ($8000) is also coming off a strong recent performance. Expect another tonight given the soft match-up against league doormat Hanwhat Eagles. But before you get super-confident, I will remind you that he gave up four runs to the Eagles last time he faced them.
- Chan Heon Jung ($7100) might be my favorite SP2 given his low price on DK. But that price is still a little high given concerns about his stamina after back surgery last year. The Twins have been skipping every other one of Jung's scheduled starts. It seems to be working, but expect high ownership and my gut is saying stay away. Or maybe we just say that I prefer Jung's teammates tonight more than him.
KBO Top Hitter Stacks
LG Twins
The Ford Pinto might be one of the most ugliest cars ever built. The similarly surnamed Richardo Pinto's pitching performances might not be as ugly. Yet unfortunately for him, he's been about as reliable and inconsistent as American cars in the 70s. His 1.70 WHIP tells the tale. That's just one reason Jung's Twins teammates make for a nice stacking pivot.
Roberto Ramos ($5300, $17) has not been quite the player he was before his short stint on the injured list. However, he still has a hit each of the last three nights and something tells me he adds to his near league leading 13 HRs tonight. Hyun Soo Kim ($5100, $15) is a streaky player, but after an 0-for-4 last night, I think the left-handed Kim gets back on a streak against the right-handed Pinto. Shortstop Ji Hwan Oh ($3100, $9) is also left handed and despite only hitting .269 on the season is hitting .378 in his last ten games. Chun Woong Lee ($3000, $8) has done a respectable job filling in for the injured Eun Sung Chae and is another left handed yet affordable bat.
Pinto however is not even my preferred pitching target tonight. The Doosan Bears are often a chalky stack, but against Sung Young Choi, they will be even more popular than usual.
Doosan Bears
Because its really hard to say anything about NCD SP Choi and be nice. I will try though and say that Choi might be better than his 6.75 ERA and 1.88 WHIP. The Bears are not for the skinflint, but you can probably fade some of the expensive left handed bats in the Doosan lineup. It is the right-handed Bears that will make it a grizzly night for the left-handed Choi. I would start with the cheaper right handed options like SS Jae Ho Kim ($2800, $9). Kim does not bring a ton of power, but he's a steal given that he's hitting .328 this season. Or consider the very cheap Hae Seong Kook ($2200, $5(!)) who I've recommended before...
#KBO #DFS sleeper of the night: Hae Seong Kook
— Mark Strausberg (@MarkStrausberg) June 23, 2020
Expect the switch-hitting Kook to start tonight and continue to outproduce his low cost on both sites. Or you opt for the budget saving Kyoung Min Hur ($2500, $8) who was activated off the injured list this week and went yard not once but twice on Thursday night. If you do have the salary space, grab Jae Hwan Kim ($5100, $17) who has ten home runs on the season and has a blistering 1.104 OPS over the last ten days.
Neither the Twins nor the Bears however, are my favorite stack tonight. That honor belongs to the....
Lotte Giants
Dixon Machado ($4600, $10) is the highest-salaried LG player now on the DK slate, perhaps because he is hitting a ridiculous .415 over his last ten games. OF Jun Woo Jeon ($4400, $12) is always in play when stacking the Giants. Oh, bee tee dubya, he went long last night against this same Lion team.
Or save a few bucks at the OF spot and go with Ah Seop Son ($3800, $13) who is hitting a piddly .352 this season including a .419 average in June. I wouldn't fault for you going with budget-saver 2B Chi Hong An ($3300, $9) but I like Hoon Jung ($3800, $9) and Dae Ho Lee ($3800, $10) for a little more. Both bring a solid floor given their low prices.
Other stacks/hitters to consider:
- In case you need more reasons to stay away from Kim, the Wiz are third in the league in both batting average and dingers. There a number of sneaky plays throughout the line-up while Baek Ho Kang ($6100,$16) is averaging just a hair under a dozen DKFP per game. Unfortunately for Kang, he is being overshadowed by Mel Rojas Jr. ($5900, $17), who should be the centerpiece of any KTW stack. There is a mountain of stats to support the use of Rojas. There's the simple league-leading 16 HRs including three HRs in his last four games. Or even the statheads might be surprised to see he has an eye-popping .344 ISO. Either way, get Rojas into your lineup.
- Don't like my Alcantra recommendation? The NC Dinos and league-leading 63 HRs are always a consideration. You know the big names like Sung Bum Na ($5800, $18), and Aaron Altherr ($5300, $16). However, are you aware of OF Hee Dong Kwon ($2600,$7)? He brings a little bit of everything: power, speed, and average and all at a reasonable price.
Good luck in your KBO DFS lineups tonight!
More Fantasy Baseball Analysis
