RADIO
Good afternoon RotoBallers! Hope you are enjoying your Independence Day! My DraftKings lineup sizzled out where my Chris Flexen shares did me in, but my FanDuel lineups definitely had some pop! It is going to give me some freedom to do some things on the 7/5/20 KBO DFS slate I might not otherwise do.
And that includes my preview for tonight. Just as the colonies broke away from the mother country, I'm going to break away from the usual format a little bit. And I'll be tapping into our history (I was a poli-sci minor in college!) for tonight's slate that locks at 4:00 AM on Sunday, July 5, 2020. No tweets in today's article either.
But speaking of tweets, be sure to follow me @MarkStrausberg for my KBO updates, as well as other picks on Twitter if/when I post updates. I can hear the fife and drum beginning to play, so lets get to it before the entire British Navy arrives....
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KBO DFS Pitchers
The Samuel Chase pick: Chan Heon Jung (DK $7500, FD $29)
Maryland was often a swing state and you were never totally sure how Chase was going to vote. He usually sided with his Southern brethren, but was prone to vote along with Delaware, Pennsylvania and some of the Northern colonies as well. So too, I am not sure what to make of Chan Heon Jung, especially as the highest salaried pitcher on FanDuel tonight.
His numbers look pretty good--He's 4-1 with a 2.56 ERA and 1.03 WHIP. But there's no consistency from one pitching performance to the other. When he faced the miserable Hianwha Eagles offense, he barely mustered four Ks. As a converted reliever, his production could easily go south after his CGSO last time on the mound. Or he could repeat that performance or his similar performance last time he faced the Lions when he struck out 11. Like Chase, this pick could go either way.
The John Adams pick: Hui Kwan Yu ($7300, $26)
Adams was one of the biggest proponents for Independence. He was disliked by many of his fellow Congressman, but being from one of the most victimized colonies his arguments had merit. So too does the very afforable Hui Kwan Yu have merit. His stats, like Adams, are viewed as quite onerous: a 4.73 ERA and a 1.68 WHIP. But he also will be pitching for the first place Doosan Bears and is taking on the Hanwha Eagles. As you hopefully know by now, anyone pitching against Hanwha is an option worth considering. If he can make it through the 5th inning, Yu has a very high likelihood of getting the win tonight.
The Thomas Jefferson Pick: Mike Wright ($9800, $27)
Like Jefferson, Mike Wright was born in the South. Also like TJ as my friends from UVA call him, Wright is a young player who is making a name for himself, is well respected, and future looks bright as he becomes more established. A 3.70 ERA and 44 Ks shows he has the chops to be one of the authors of your team as you break away from the tyranny of defeat. Just as many can name Jefferson as one of the founding fathers, so too do many recognize Mike Wright and he will be chalky and popular pick tonight.
The Benjamin Franklin Pick: Aaron Brooks ($9000, $27)
Franklin was a popular member of the Continental Congress, who often drew from the many varied areas in which he excelled like science and political cartoons, not to mention like me he loved to dabble in a beer or two! (Of course Franklin never said that, but its still a great quote!). But you better believe Franklin loved himself a pint or a pitcher. So too can pitcher Aaron Brooks draw from a number of pitches whether it is his curveball, change-up, or his 92-MPH four seamer. A top five in ERA and with 56 Ks, Brooks will be an important part of winning teams just as Franklin was an instrumental part in America declaring its Independence.
KBO Top Hitter Stacks
I want to go with some of the contrarian stacks here. I really do. But with five or six strong pitchers going tonight and at least three lousy ones, I am going to stick with the chalk. However, instead of the big bats, I'm going to go with some of the cheaper bats in the those lineups. Of course let's start with the always chalky Doosan Bears
The John Hancock Pick: Doosan Bears
Just as Hancock's signature stands out on the Declaration of Indepence, so too do the Doosan Bears stand out as the obvious stack tonight.
The Bears are facing the left-handed Chad Bell, which does minimize the upside of the left-handed power bats of Jose Fernandez, Jae Hwan Kim, and Jae Il Oh. But Bell has been downright awful and has more than a few cracks than the one that resides in Philadelphia. Bell has a 0-5 record, a 7.88 ERA and 1.88 WHIP.
I'm not going to even highlight any individual Bears, because there is not a single Doosan player I would be reluctant to start tonight.
Or you could go with the....
The John Dickinson Contrarian Pick: LG Twins
Dickinson was well respected, but he was one of the most fervent loyalists. The support for Independence was rising, but Dickinson refused to be swayed by others around him. Chae Heung Choi is one of the higher salaried options on both slate. Given his 5-2 record, 3.43 ERA, and other solid stats, is easy to understand why. Not only are the Twins facing a solid pitcher, but they are in the bottom half of the league in HRs, definitely making them a less popular stack tonight.
Given the lefty-lefty matchup, I'm going to continue to fade Roberto Ramos who is left-handed like Choi. Ditto for former Baltimore Oriole Hyun Soo Kim, who is worthy only if you can afford him. Ji Hwan Oh is also left handed, but his priced dropped $100 on DK since I last recommended him. He's still a good bargain on FanDuel. I'm also do like the right-handed Kang Nam Yoo a catcher. If you are looking for a really deep sleeper, consider infielder Ho Young Son. As a righty, he is likely to start tonight and is batting .308 this season.
If this contrarian stack pays off, it will be quite the feather in your cap. But let me give you one more recommendation that will hopefully have you dancing like Yankee Doodle Dandy.
The Carolinas Pick: KTW and KIW
Before the Revolutionary War started of course, there was much haggling and deliberations in Congress. And while the Southern colonies often voted as a block, Georgia and Virginia were often more independent (pardon the pun) of the block than say North Carolina and South Carolina. If one Carolina voted a particular way, you could bet the other Carolina would as well. It's even poked at in the show 1776. I couldn't even remember which was which. So too is the case with KTW and KIW. I have to pause a second and remember which is which! Therefore, I will be "game stacking" KIW and KTW.
Neither pitcher in that game has a wining record, a WHIP below 1.40, a k/9 of even 6.0, or an ERA less than 4.50. We don't need a revolution to find some decent soldiers. So forgive me when I say what I've said before with regards to KTW and KIW:
Ha Seong Kim, Byung Ho Park and Keon Chang Seo are three punishing bats. Add the KBO's best bet at catcher, Dong Won Park, and this could be a very powerful stack. On the other side of the matchup is the always tough bat of Baek Ho Kang, who is averaging over 11 DKFP per game thanks to his .326 average and 11 HRs. I've said it before, but unfortunately for Kang, he is being overshadowed by Mel Rojas Jr.. He should be the centerpiece of any KTW stack and continues to lead the league in HRs, having hit his 19 homer last night.
Happy 4th of July and may there be fireworks in your KBO DFS lineups tonight!
More Fantasy Baseball Analysis
