This article is part of our DraftKings KBO series.
The third day of the KBO season saw the bats start to come alive, with teams averaging 5.7 runs per game (well above last year's average of 4.6) after managing just 3.9 runs in both of the first two slates. Each of Thursday's winners scored at least seven runs, with the Dinos and Giants completing series sweeps over the Lions and Wiz, respectively. Expect scoring to remain up as we head into the weekend series, with teams' backend starters set to take the hill. On the fantasy front, the few games of data we've had so far are starting to normalize some of the biggest outlier prices we saw in the first few games, but plenty of values are still available.
PITCHERS
Note: FanDuel is using Team Starting Pitchers rather than individual starting pitchers, presumably to guard against last-minute changes which could occur at hours of the night when most reasonable Americans won't be checking their fantasy lineups.
Drew Gagnon ($7,000 DraftKings, $21 FanDuel as "Kia Starting P") is quite cheap for an American import, especially on FanDuel, where he's tied for the second-cheapest pitcher on the slate. Gagnon doesn't have much of an MLB track record, recording a 7.32 ERA and 1.71 WHIP in 35.2 innings at that level, but that hasn't stopped a number of his fellow Americans from impressing in their KBO debuts. There's no guarantee the same will be true for Gagnon, but he'll at least have a comparably easy welcome to the league as he'll face a Lions lineup that managed just five runs in its first three games.
Hee Kwan Yoo ($8,500 DraftKings, $26 FanDuel as "Doosan Starting P") is quite expensive but could be worth the price. His defending-champion Bears take on a Wiz side that has yet to record a win and that will be trotting out 18-year-old rookie Hyeong Jun So. Yoo, a 33-year-old lefty, bounced back from an awful 2018 campaign when he posted a 6.70 ERA, recording a 3.25 ERA and 11-8 record for the Korean Series winners last year.
Tyler Wilson ($7,800 DraftKings, $22 FanDuel as "LG Starting P") comes with some risk, as his season debut was pushed back because his buildup was delayed as he was forced to undergo the mandatory 14-day quarantine upon returning from his stateside home. It's unclear whether he'll be on a pitch count in this game, but if not, he's quite cheap for a pitcher of his talent level. He owns a 2.99 ERA and 1.15 WHIP through his first two seasons in South Korea.
TOP TARGETS
Hyun Soo Kim ($6,100 DraftKings, $14 FanDuel) has taken over the title as the most-expensive batter on DraftKings and is two dollars shy of that mark on FanDuel, but he's a talented hitter who is worth the price. The Twins' no. 3 hitter, who's gone 5-for-12 with a homer to start the campaign, will get the platoon advantage against Dinos righty Jae Hak Lee.
You'll have to pay up for Jamie Romak ($6,000 DraftKings, $15 FanDuel) on either site, but the Wyverns' cleanup hitter could earn his high price against Giants starter Kyung Eun Noh. The 36-year-old recorded a respectable 4.08 ERA last season but posted an ERA of 6.85 or worse in three of the previous four campaigns. Romak has finished in the top three in homers in each of the last two seasons and could get the chance to open his 2020 account Friday.
VALUE BATS
Dixon Machado ($4,900 DraftKings, $9 FanDuel) only qualifies for this category on FanDuel, as his price has risen considerably on DraftKings, but he's worth a look as long as he remains cheap. The shortstop was a purely defensive player during his time in the MLB, hitting an anemic .227/.285/.295 in 172 games, but early returns have been positive against a weaker level of pitching. He's gone 3-for-10 through his first three KBO games, with his one home run already giving him half of his career MLB total.
Sun Bin Kim ($3,200 DraftKings, $12 FanDuel) has hit second or third in each game for the Tigers this season, grabbing five hits through his first three contests. He has a long track record of hitting for a high average, posting a .301 batting average over his 12-year KBO career.
STACKS TO CONSIDER
Heroes vs. Min Jae Jang: Jung Hoo Lee ($4,900 DraftKings, $13 FanDuel), Keon Chang Seo ($3,100 DraftKings, $11 FanDuel), Byung Ho Park ($5,400 DraftKings, $14 FanDuel)
The Heroes got their bats going in the opening series against the Tigers, scoring a total of 19 runs. They'll have the chance to keep that going against a pitcher in Jang who struggled last season. Even as league-wide offense fell due to the de-juiced ball, Jang saw his ERA jump up to 5.43. His 19.6 percent strikeout rate and 5.1 percent walk rate were both actually quite good, but he allowed loud contact, giving up 1.1 HR/9, well above the league-average 0.7 HR/9 mark.
Lee, a left-handed batter, has hit third in each of the Heroes' first three games this season, grabbing three hits, scoring three runs and driving in three. The 21-year-old outfielder hasn't shown much power through his first three KBO seasons, hitting a total of just 14 home runs, but he's been an excellent contact hitter, owning a career .338 batting average.
Seo hasn't quite gotten his bat going this season, going 1-for-8 at the plate through three games. Still, as a cheap left-handed hitter who leads off for the Heroes, he'll make for a key piece of the puzzle for anyone looking to stack against the shaky Jang. He has a long track record as a strong contact hitter, posting a batting average no lower than .298 in each of his last six campaigns.
Park won't have the platoon advantage, and he's not cheap, but he has the potential to put up a huge point total should the Heroes go off in this one. He's averaged 45.3 homers over his last four KBO season and hit a league-leading 33 last season even with the deadened ball.
Bears vs. Hyeong Jun So: Jose Fernandez ($5,900 DraftKings, $16 FanDuel), Jae Hwan Kim ($5,300 DraftKings, $13 FanDuel), Joo Hwan Choi ($2,800 DraftKings, $10 FanDuel)
So is an 18-year-old righty who's set to make his KBO debut. He does seem to have a bright future, as he showed his talent at the U-18 Baseball World Cup last year, posting a 15:1 K:BB and 1.32 ERA in 13.2 innings for a South Korean team, which finished third. Still, he's a completely unproven pitcher at the KBO level and is set to take on a lineup that finished second in the league in runs per game last season. He's a pitcher to look to stack against until he proves otherwise.
The Bears' lineup is loaded with deservedly expensive hitters, with Fernandez topping the list. The Cuban designated hitter, who's been batting second against righties, had an excellent first series against the Twins, going 8-for-13 at the plate. The hits should continue for a player who led the league in that category last season.
Cleanup hitter and fellow left-handed bat Kim is also quite expensive but comes with a strong track record of his own. He recorded an OPS north of 1.000 for three straight seasons from 2016 to 2018 and had a still-solid .804 last season even as league-wide offense fell off a cliff. He's started this season well, going 4-for-11 with a double and a homer.
The key to a Bears stack is finding cheap bats to pair with the team's expensive stars. That makes Choi a vital piece. The veteran second-baseman, who also bats left-handed, has been hitting fifth against righties. He's gone jut 1-for-7 at the plate so far in this young season but has a history as a strong contact bat, posting a career .294 batting average.
