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Welcome back RotoBallers! MLB is back and apparently Captain Walker has returned home to FanDuel. They have killed all of their KBO slates. However, since we are not a deaf, dumb, blind kid (who sure plays a mean pinball!), we will continue to preview the DraftKings KBO slates including the 7/25/20 KBO DFS slate.
DraftKings however is reducing the number of options they have, but that doesn't change the fact that this slate will lock at 5:00 AM EST on Saturday, July 25, 2020. Yes, you're going to still have to wake up before roster lock, but those that do will likely have an advantage. Another way to gain an advantage? Check out our RotoBaller Premium Slack chats. It's a great space to chat during the day about lineups and other options. I've been known to visit the chats at least once or twice a day, if not more. And it's not just my insights you will see on there, but other staff writers as well.
Of course, you can always follow me the rest of the week on Twitter @MarkStrausberg for my KBO updates, as well as other picks for other sports if/when I post updates. Got it? Good. Tonight's slate gives us a bunch of possible pitchers, making the 7/25/20 KBO DFS slate an interesting one.
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KBO DFS Pitchers
There is not a single pitcher I wouldn't consider for a GPP tonight. Many of the lesser options are coming off a miserable game, but their overall numbers are far better than their last outing. Or they are starting to come on after miserable starts. But there are two clear cut options for cash games tonight if you are willing to pay up for both your starters.
Aaron Brooks ($10,000) and Dan Straily ($9600) are in a tier by themselves tonight. Neither has a cakewalk of a match-up, but both should provide plenty of K's to give them at least a high floor tonight. Brooks has yet to lose this month and has an easier match-up. Samsung is tied for the second-fewest HRs and Brooks should easily get his sixth win tonight. Brooks has been an absolute stud and will likely pitch close to his 1.12 WHIP and 2.49 ERA.
However, if forced to choose, I will take the four hundred dollar savings and roll with Straily tonight. In addition to the savings, Straily has over 20 more strikeouts than Brooks. In addition to his higher strikeout upside, Straily has better ratios, having notched a 2.03 ERA and 0.96 WHIP. Plus, as I've said before Straily's stuff is absolutely nasty...
Filthy stuff from Dan Straily. pic.twitter.com/LvzNVVri6s
— Alex Fast (@AlexFast8) July 8, 2020
After Brooks and Straily, things get a little more interesting. The Wyverns don't usually give their starters a ton of run support, but Seung Won Moon ($8100) is my favorite play of the remaining options. He's got six losses already but I think he gets the W tonight. First off, he has the best match-up against the Eagles which only vaguely resemble a professional baseball team. In addition to taking on the worst team, Seung Won Moon has solid numbers across the board. He's averaging more than five strikeouts a game. He has three straight quality starts and all but one of his last nine starts have been a QS. Throw in his solid 3.30 ERA and 1.14 WHIP and you can see why he's the easy play tonight.
My guess is all three of the options above will be highly owned. But if you're looking for someone a little less chalky, consider the cheapest option on the board, Won Joon Choi ($5800). Many will run away from Choi and his 4.15 ERA. However, the ERA is inflated from his relief appearances. In both his starts this season he has blanked the opposition. At home in one of the more spacious ballparks in the KBO, Choi makes for a great value play.
Other starters to consider are:
Unlike most slates, I can make an argument for nearly every pitcher tonight. But here are three I like better than the others.
- Like, Won Joon Choi, Casey Kelly ($8400) will also receive the benefit of playing in Jamisil tonight. He is coming off an 11-K masterpiece last game, but is in for a much tougher matchup against the Bears tonight. If you don't care about the match-up though, Kelly is the guy for you.
- Of course if you want a pitcher who should get run support, look no further than Mike Wright ($8700). The Dinos have by far the most homers in the league and opposing pitcher Odrisamer Despaigne has given up a homer in 80% of his last ten starts. Wright owns a 3.84 ERA and a solid 55 Ks. I don't like him for cash games, but makes for a potentially worthwhile GPP pick.
- Finally, Hyun Hee Han ($7700) has by far the lowest floor of any pitcher mentioned so far. His 6.28 ERA attests to some of the rocky starts he's had. But his opponent tonight, Lotte, is a middle-of-the-road offense at best. And remember when I mentioned pitchers coming off strong starts? Han's last was a beauty, striking out seven and giving up just one run in his 4-1 victory.
KBO Top Hitter Stacks
So, with all these great pitching options tonight, who do we stack? Allow me to answer that. We will start with the chalk pick, the Kia Tigers.
Kia Tigers
Samsung will be throwing right-handed Ben Lively and his 4.91 ERA against the Tigers. Lively is better than his ratios, but is only making his second start since coming off the injured list. Like usual, we start at the top with the left-handed Preston Tucker ($6000) and his 16 homers. It's been over a week since Tucker last jacked one, but I'd argue that he is due, and we know Tucker has slate-breaking potential. Too costly? Consider Hyung Woo Choi ($4900) who is also left-handed. Far cheaper than Tucker, Choi is coming in hotter, having hit .341 his last ten games. Looking to save a few bucks? Go with my frequent recommendation of Ji-Wan Na ($3800) whose salary is starting to rise, but is still a relative bargain and is also hitting well over the last week or so. And if he's the starting catcher tonight, I love me some Yong Hwan Baek. Baek ($3200) has been red-hot over his last ten games, posting a 1.159 OPS, including a long ball in his most recent game.
I prefer however something a little less chalky. SK has the second-fewest runs in the league, but I think they will buck that trend tonight.
SK Wyverns
I like Warwick Saupold, I really do. But he just can't seem to get on track this year and until he does, I will be stacking against him. He has given up four or more runs his last four starts and I don't see tonight being any different. Saupold will strike a few Wyverns out, you can bank on that. But his 4.67 ERA and 1.40 WHIP is screaming starting your Wyverns.
Any SK stack starts with Jeong Choi ($5800), who last put up a donut on July 7th. He is the Wyverns best player by far with his 13 HRs, five stolen bases, and solid .285 batting average. He also has an insane 1.167 OPS over his last ten games. If you are going to play Wyverns, you have to start Choi tonight.
Jeong Choi snuck this one over the LF wall today for his 347th career homer, 3rd-most all-time in the #KBO and only 4 behind 2nd-place Joon-hyuk Yang. This is his 16th (!) season with the SK Wyverns. pic.twitter.com/9aaPZRa4Tz
— Céspedes Family BBQ (@CespedesBBQ) July 14, 2020
Jamie Romak ($4600) is a very streaky player and don't be surprised if he gives you nothing. You should also not be surprised if he crushes the ball tonight as he does have 13 HRs, two of which have come in the last week. Dong Min Han ($3900) also has two homers in the last week and is always a threat to go long. Unlike Choi and Romak, Han also brings the LvR advantage to the plate tonight. If you want someone seeing the ball really well, Joon Woo Choi ($2700) also has the LvR advantage and makes for a nice value play at second base as he has hit .343 over his last ten games.
I try very hard to not stack the Lotte Giants as I've mentioned they are no juggernaut. Yet for some reason, I just can't stay away. This is probably a situation where the parts are greater than the whole. However, I like them as a stack again tonight.
Lotte Giants
Recall that Kiwoom starter Hyun Hee Han has the proclivity for the absolutely terrible night. He gave up 17 runs combined in his first two starts this month, so this could be a golden opportunity for the Giants. How can you not like Dae Ho Lee who is only $4200 but has 11 homers and is hitting .311 the season? Well, probably because he sustained a shoulder injury a couple of days ago. He was in the lineup however last night. If Lee's replaced by Yoon Seok Oh at first base tonight, I'd start him gladly as well. He's hitting .387 his last ten games and could be a steal at just $2800. Neither Oh nor Ah Seop Son ($4200) have quite the power of Lee, but Son has a .345 average. I like both 2B options, and wouldn't be shocked if both Dixon Machado ($4300) and Chi Hong An ($3400) contribute to a run-barrage tonight. Of course, Jun Woo Jeon ($4500) and his 13 homers is the big bat you'll want from Lotte.
Other stacks/hitters to consider:
- Of course, you can always go with the usual chalky Doosan Bears and their left-handed bats against right-hander Casey Kelly. Jose Fernandez, Jae Hwan Kim, and Jae Il Oh are all left-handed and yeah, they're good. Depending on your budget, I might stick a few of the right-handed Bears in there too!
- I mentioned above that right-hander Odrisimar Despaigne has struggled with the long ball lately. That includes his last outing when he surrendered eight runs to these same Dinos. The Dinos, especially their left-handed bats, are very expensive. However, should you select two cheap pitchers, you could afford a Dino stack. At this point, you know who the studs are. If you can afford 'em, play 'em!
Good luck in your KBO DFS lineups tonight!
More Fantasy Baseball Analysis
