DFS KBO: Friday Cheat Sheet

Mel Rojas homered for the 18th time this season in the closest of Thursday's five KBO games, a game in which the Wiz eventually defeated the Twins thanks to Sung Woo Jang's 10th-inning single. Meanwhile, a huge day from Byung Ho Park, who went deep twice and drove in five runs, helped the second-place Heroes win the rubber match against the third-place Bears by a score of 10-7, capping a series in which the two teams averaged 8.2 runs per game. Elsewhere, the Dinos chased Dan Straily from the game in the fifth inning after scoring five runs off him (though only two were earned), with Aaron Altherr leading the way with three hits, a homer and four RBI in the league leaders' 9-7 win. Friday's slate kicks off a new set of matchups around the league, with a series between the stumbling Twins and streaking Lions, who sit fourth and sixth, respectively, but who are now separated by just 1.5 games, looking like the most significant of the bunch. We may not get the full five games, however, as rain threatens the Tigers-Dinos game in Changwon and the Wyverns-Giants matchup in Busan as of writing.

Pitchers

Eric Jokisch ($9,700 DraftKings, $30 FanDuel as "Kiwoom Starting P") is the most expensive arm on both sites, but I wouldn't be afraid to pay up for a pitcher of his talents even against a Wiz lineup that ranks a solid fourth in the league in scoring. Jokisch's 18.6 percent strikeout rate isn't elite, though it's still above average, and it's just about his only number that doesn't rank among the best in the league. His 1.42 ERA leads all qualified starters, while his 0.85 WHIP ranks second. He handled the Wiz very easily the last time he faced them, striking out nine while allowing zero earned runs in seven innings of work.

Any pitcher who gets to face the Eagles is worthy of consideration, though Raul Alcantara ($8,600 DraftKings, $28 FanDuel as "Doosan Starting P") would be worth a look against most opponents. His 3.69 ERA and 1.25 WHIP are both good marks, and they're supported by a 19.5 percent strikeout rate and a 4.1 percent walk rate. He's been even better over his last four outings (a stretch that includes a pair of starts against the top-ranked Dinos lineup), cruising to a 2.54 ERA and 21:2 K:BB.

Jung Hyun Baek ($6,000 DraftKings, $22 FanDuel as "Samsung Starting P") is far from intimidating, but he's no worse than decent and is priced as if he's one of the weakest options on the slate. His 4.50 ERA and 1.39 WHIP are each fine but forgettable, though he's backed those numbers up with a solid combination of an 18.3 percent strikeout rate and a 6.1 percent walk rate. The veteran lefty has pitched at this respectable level for the past three seasons, recording an ERA between 4.24 and 4.58 each year. He's been particularly good over his last four starts, allowing a total of just three earned runs. He'll face a Twins lineup which has fallen to fifth in scoring after a run of poor results.

Top Targets

Aaron Altherr ($5,200 DraftKings, $16 FanDuel) has crept up one spot in the order in each of the Dinos last four games, moving from seventh all the way up to fourth. It's hard to argue he doesn't deserve to bat cleanup for the best lineup in the league, as he's been on fire lately, hitting .414/.452/1.000 over his last eight games, homering five times, scoring 10 runs and driving in 11 more. Even with his poor start to the season factored in, his overall .302/.376/.621 slash line stands out as among the best in the league. His Dinos face Drew Gagnon, a pitcher who owns impressive season-long numbers but whose 15:9 K:BB over his last four starts is rather mediocre.

If the Wyverns had scored more than a rather pathetic four runs in their last five games, I might have recommended them as a stack candidate against Adran Sampson, who owns a 6.16 ERA and a 1.66 WHIP through his first six KBO starts. The lack of runs hasn't been Jeong Choi's ($5,200 DraftKings, $15 FanDuel) fault, though as he hit a strong .250/.368/.563 over that stretch. He started the season very poorly, but his .330/.462/.632 slash line over his last 32 games is hardly a surprise for a player who's recorded an OPS north of .900 for 10 straight seasons.

Bargain Bats

Ja Wook Koo ($4,400 DraftKings, $10 FanDuel) remains a true bargain only on FanDuel, but his DraftKings price is a fairer reflection of his abilities. His homer Thursday was his third in his last nine games and his sixth on the season overall. He's been limited to just 31 games this year due to a thigh injury, but he's been very good when available, hitting .322/.383/.568. He's a threat on the basepaths as well, as his seven steals tie him for sixth in the league. He'll get the platoon advantage in the league's most hitter-friendly park against Twins' righty Tyler Wilson, who owns a mediocre 4.47 ERA through nine starts, a number that appears to be in line with his peripherals.

Sun Bin Kim ($4,300 DraftKings, $8 FanDuel) is also much more of a bargain on FanDuel, though his eligibility at a rather thin shortstop position on DraftKings gives him value there as well. He missed two weeks in June with a hamstring injury, but he's looked very good in five games since returning to the field, going 9-for-21 (.429) at the plate. In 35 games overall, he owns a strong .354/.442/.433 slash line with more walks (18) than strikeouts (17). The Tigers lineup has been fairly weak this year, but they'll face a relatively easy test against Dinos lefty Sung Young Choi, who owns a 5.94 ERA and a 7:7 K:BB in 16.2 innings.

Stacks To Consider

Bears vs. Bum Soo Kim: Kun Woo Park ($4,300 DraftKings, $13 FanDuel), Kyoung Min Hur ($3,500 DraftKings, $8 FanDuel), Jae Hwan Kim ($5,700 DraftKings, $17 FanDuel)

Bum Soo Kim's 4.34 ERA this season is respectable enough, but there's little reason to trust he'll maintain that number going forward. He does own a strong 20.9 percent strikeout rate, but that should be more than offset by a very poor 15.7 percent walk rate. He's never had much success in his first five KBO campaigns, with his 5.68 ERA last season serving as his career-best mark. He should be very much overmatched against a Bears team that sits second in scoring on the season and that has scored 21 runs over its last two games.

As a southpaw, Kim will at least get the platoon advantage against several of the Bears' best bats, but the Bears have some quality right-handed bats as well. Kun Woo Park is the top name in that category. He started the season quite poorly but has been on quite a role since the last day of May, hitting .411/.455/.544 over his last 23 games, scoring 22 times. He's reclaimed his leadoff spot, though he's also occasionally hit third against southpaws. Park did miss four games in late June, potentially due to the same nagging thigh injury that he battled earlier in the month, though he's looked fine in the first two games of July, reaching base three times.

Hur has been leading off against lefties recently and will be a bargain if he fills that role again Friday. He missed most of June with a broken finger, but he's been quite hot since returning to the lineup, hitting .343 with a pair of homers in nine games. He's made excellent contact all season, striking out in just 6.6 percent of his plate appearances en route to a .320/.365/.464 slash line, a line that looks quite a lot like his .324/.376/.459 mark from 2018, the final year before the ball was de-juiced.

You'll likely have to turn to a lefty to complete this stack, but Jae Hwan Kim has been so hot lately that I'd feel comfortable paying up for him even with the platoon disadvantage. He's bounced back from an extended slump to his .391/.541/.630 over his last 13 games, driving in an incredible 18 runs. He hasn't had any issues with southpaws this year, hitting .321 against them with five homers in 56 at-bats.

Heroes vs. Odrisamer Despaigne: Jung Hoo Lee ($4,400 DraftKings, $14 FanDuel), Keon Chang Seo ($4,400 DraftKings, $10 FanDuel), Byung Ho Park ($4,500 DraftKings, $14 FanDuel)

Despaigne opened the season as one of the top starters in the KBO, allowing a combined five earned runs across his first four starts while striking out 20 and walking five. He's fallen off a cliff since then, however, struggling to a 7.41 ERA over his last six outings. The only one of those six starts in which he didn't allow at least four earned runs came against the lowly Wyverns, and that start wasn't great either, as he walked more batters than he struck out. It would be a surprise if his struggles suddenly end against a Heroes team that's been the hottest in the league in recent weeks. They averaged 8.7 runs per game in their mid-week series against the Bears.

As he always does against a righty, Lee leads this stack. He's hit .381/.413/.619 over his last 10 games, though that doesn't really qualify as a hot streak in a year in which he's hitting .367/.429/.612 overall. He's priced a step down from the league's top bats, which does make some sense given that he's hit a modest seven homers, but he's an elite contact hitter, striking out in just 6.7 percent of his plate appearances, right in line with his 6.3 percent mark from last season. His spot as the number three hitter in one of the league's best lineups has helped him score 36 runs, tying him for third in the league.

Seo helps keep this stack fairly cheap on FanDuel, but he's useful on DraftKings as well due to his second-base eligibility. The leadoff man owns an excellent .371/.476/.600 slash line over his last nine games, scoring 10 times and stealing a pair of bases over that stretch. His legs are perhaps his strongest asset, as he's stolen a league-leading 11 bases and has hit a league-best four triples, including three over the aforementioned nine-game stretch.

There are a few ways to go for the final spot in this stack, but I'll list Park here after his multi-homer game Thursday. That performance was his second multi-homer game in his last seven games and gave him five homers over his last nine contests, a stretch in which he's hitting .333/.465/.818. When Park is off, he's among the worst hitters in the league, as his huge day Thursday broke a four-game stretch where he went 0-for-14 with eight strikeouts. His low floor makes him perhaps an unappealing cash-game play, but he's very interesting in larger contests as he's capable of huge games, as he's now tied for fourth in the league with 13 homers despite hitting just .226 with a league-worst 31.9 percent strikeout rate.