RADIO
Welcome back, RotoBallers, to another KBO DFS column. I can't believe we're a month into the KBO season! We are starting to get bigger sample sizes for both our pitchers and hitters and allow us to see who are more reliable arms and bats are on a nightly basis.
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 1:00 AM on Saturday, June 6, 2020. Both DraftKings and FanDuel have large contests with big top prizes. DraftKings' largest contest has a top prize of $15K to first and FanDuel has a contest with a top prize of $4K 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, wins, and quality starts (on Fanduel) much more important for KBO DFS. Most of the league leaders in innings pitched last season were foreign pitchers.
Chang Mo Koo - NC Starting P ($9300 DraftKings / $29 FanDuel)
Koo is arguably the best pitcher in the league. He leads the league in WHIP, FIP, and IP and is second in the league in K%. Hanwha hits lefties better than righties but is still below league average in wOBA and OPS. Daejon Hanbat is also a pitcher's park. This is a very favorable matchup for Koo.
Drew Gagnon - Kia Starting P ($6800 DraftKings / $27 FanDuel )
Gagnon leads the league in K%. Jamsil Stadium is the most pitcher-friendly park in the league and only Hanwha has a lower wOBA than Doosan at home. The Bears have the lowest K% in the league so upside could be limited. DraftKings still has Gagnon way underpriced and the salary relief makes it easier to pay up for Koo.
Other starters to consider are:
- Chae Heung Choi - Samsung Starting P ($7300 DraftKings / $24 FanDuel )
- Jong Hoon Park - SK Starting P ($7400 DraftKings / $25 FanDuel)
KBO Top Hitter Stacks
KBO de-juiced the ball last season and power numbers declined. Home runs are way up 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. Our preferred stacking strategy is 4/2/2 or 3/3/2 on DraftKings and 3/3 or 2/2/2 on FanDuel.
NC Dinos
Chad Bell is not pitching deep into games. In his last start, he was pulled in the fourth after walking five. NC is crushing lefties. They've hit 16 homers with an ISO above .200 against lefties. Don't avoid Sung Bum Na because of the lefty/lefty matchup.
He has four bombs against lefties and is likely to get at least two plate appearances against the bullpen. Suk Min Park, Jin Sung Kang, and Aaron Altherr also have multiple HRs against lefties.
- Aaron Altherr - OF ($4700 DraftKings / $11 FanDuel)
- Sung Bum Na - OF ($5400 DraftKings / $16 FanDuel)
- Suk Min Park - 3B ($4700 DraftKings / $10 FanDuel)
- Jin Sung Kang - 1B/OF ($3700 DraftKings / $10 FanDuel)
KT Wiz
Sajik is a hitter's park and only the Dinos have a higher wOBA than the Wiz. Straily has pitched more than five innings in only a third of his starts. The Wiz are likely to face the bullpen for four innings.
Mel Rojas leads the team in HRs and wOBA. Kyung Soo Park is second on the team in HRs. Yong Ho Jo and Jeong Dae Bae only have one HR between them but both have a wOBA over .400.
- Mel Rojas Jr. - OF ($6500 DraftKings / $16 FanDuel)
- Kyung Soo Park - 2B ($3600 DraftKings / $9 FanDuel)
- Jeong Dae Bae - OF ($2500 DraftKings / $10 FanDuel)
- Yong Ho Jo - OF ($2700 DraftKings / $8 FanDuel)
Other Stacks to Consider
- Lotte Giants
- LG Twins
Conclusion
- Starting lineups will not be released until one hour before lock.
- Only two of the games will have confirmed starting lineups before lock. Fortunately, both sites have late swap.
More Fantasy Baseball Analysis
