This article is part of our DraftKings KBO series.
Friday's five-game slate features some very targetable arms, which gives us no shortage of individual bats and stacks to focus in on. Two of the five contests have projected run totals in double digits and another is set at 9.5 runs. Many of the hitters in potentially-exploitable matchups are also priced surprisingly reasonably, making it very feasible to put together a strong top-to-bottom lineup in both cash games or tournaments.
As customary, I'll highlight both pitchers and hitters across various price points to consider for all contest types. Considering some of the arms taking the hill, I'm only confident enough in two pitchers to spotlight, but I do have three stacks worth considering in the latter portion of the article, and one in particular that could be a productive contrarian option in tournaments.
Pitchers
Drew Rucinski ($9,400 DraftKings, $29 FanDuel as "NC Starting P") is the most expensive pitcher on the slate, but with the support of the powerful Dinos offense behind him and his own impressive body of work this season, he's worth the investment. Rucinski is averaging an excellent 21.1 DK points per game across 11 starts, a number garnered on the strength of a 7-1 record, 2.30 ERA and 1.11 WHIP. Rucinski has arguably been more effective on the road overall, where he's 4-0 with a 2.31 ERA, .216 BAA and average of 21.2 DK points in six outings. Meanwhile, while the opposing Twins do have an impressive .281 team batting average, they haven't been particularly prolific
Friday's five-game slate features some very targetable arms, which gives us no shortage of individual bats and stacks to focus in on. Two of the five contests have projected run totals in double digits and another is set at 9.5 runs. Many of the hitters in potentially-exploitable matchups are also priced surprisingly reasonably, making it very feasible to put together a strong top-to-bottom lineup in both cash games or tournaments.
As customary, I'll highlight both pitchers and hitters across various price points to consider for all contest types. Considering some of the arms taking the hill, I'm only confident enough in two pitchers to spotlight, but I do have three stacks worth considering in the latter portion of the article, and one in particular that could be a productive contrarian option in tournaments.
Pitchers
Drew Rucinski ($9,400 DraftKings, $29 FanDuel as "NC Starting P") is the most expensive pitcher on the slate, but with the support of the powerful Dinos offense behind him and his own impressive body of work this season, he's worth the investment. Rucinski is averaging an excellent 21.1 DK points per game across 11 starts, a number garnered on the strength of a 7-1 record, 2.30 ERA and 1.11 WHIP. Rucinski has arguably been more effective on the road overall, where he's 4-0 with a 2.31 ERA, .216 BAA and average of 21.2 DK points in six outings. Meanwhile, while the opposing Twins do have an impressive .281 team batting average, they haven't been particularly prolific on the power front, slugging the fourth-fewest homers thus far (51).
Min Woo Kim ($7,100 DraftKings, $24 FanDuel as "Hanwha Starting P") may be a curious choice on the surface, considering his unsightly 1-5 record, 4.83 ERA and 1.41 WHIP for the season. However, Kim has been much better of late, posting 19.7 and 19.3 DK points against the Wiz and Bears, teams that are currently third and fourth in runs per game, respectively. Additionally, Kim draws a matchup Friday versus the popgun lineup of the Wyverns, which average just 3.7 runs per game and have hit the third-fewest home runs (48) in the KBO. Granted, Kim's Eagles are even more anemic on the stat sheet, but as we'll highlight in the stacks section, Friday could be an exception to the rule for them due to the pitching matchup. Finally, consider Kim holds an 0-2 mark at home, but that's a tough-luck tally that is accompanied by an excellent 2.52 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, .149 BAA and 30 strikeouts across 25 innings (four starts).
Top Targets
Jose Fernandez ($6,400 DraftKings, $17 FanDuel) checks in with the second-highest DK points average on the slate (10.8 PPG) and has averaged 12.8 DK points over 30 road games. Seven of Fernandez's 10 homers have also come when traveling, and he's already blasted Giants pitching this season for a .391/.500/.609 line across six games, a stretch during which he's contributed 11.3 DK points per contest. The matchup Friday also works in his favor, considering opposing pitcher Jun Won Seo has posted a 4.91 ERA across two prior starts versus the Bears this season and has posted an elevated 1.5 HR/9 while only recording 27 strikeouts across 54.2 innings this season.
Ha Seong Kim ($5,500 DraftKings, $16 FanDuel) checks into Friday's contest swinging a red-hot bat, as evidenced by a .371/.467/.429 slash and average of 10.6 DK points over the last 10 games. Kim is averaging an impressive 10.4 DK points overall for the season, and he's belted 12 extra-base hits (six doubles, six home runs) in 27 road games on his way to a .514 slugging percentage when traveling. Friday, the right-handed-hitting Kim gets a favorable matchup against southpaw Hyun Jong Yang, who enters with a 5.55 ERA, .274 BAA and 1.2 HR/9 over 58.1 innings, including a 6.63 ERA, .278 BAA and 1.42 WHIP in four home starts (19 innings).
Jung Hoo Lee ($4,500 DraftKings, $14 FanDuel) is in the same strong matchup as his teammate Kim, and Lee is also very reasonably priced for a player slashing .358/.422/.615 with 34 extra-base hits (21 doubles, four triples, nine home runs). Lee operates out of the No. 3 spot in the order as well, and he comes in with an impressive .337/.405/.548 road line over 27 games outside his home stadium.
ALSO CONSIDER: Mel Rojas ($6,500 DraftKings, $17 FanDuel); Aaron Altherr ($5,600 DraftKings, $15 FanDuel)
Bargain Bats
Ah Seop Son ($3,800 DraftKings, $13 FanDuel) continues to sport a price tag that significantly belies his fantasy upside. The veteran is also hitting a blistering .373 with runners in scoring position and is slotted into the favorable No. 2 hole in the order. It's also worth noting Son's success against Bears pitching this season, as he's hitting .348 and boasts an eye-popping .516 on-base percentage in six games versus Doosan.
Jeong Dae Bae ($3,400 DraftKings, $10 FanDuel) is another player whose season metrics pleasantly outshine his minuscule prices. The fifth-year veteran has recorded double-digit fantasy-point tallies in four of his last five games, and he's slashed a stellar .392/.434/.657 line across 27 home games. Additionally, Bae has decimated Lions pitching this season to the tune of a .455 average (10-for-22) over six games, enhancing his already strong case at salaries he could easily pay off.
ALSO CONSIDER: Kyoung Min Hur (DraftKings $4,300, $10 FanDuel); Dae Ho Lee ($3,800 DraftKings, $10 FanDuel)
Stacks to Consider
Eagles vs. Joo Han Kim: Ju Seok Ha ($4,500 DraftKings, $9 FanDuel); Tae Kyun Kim ($3,900 DraftKings, $7 FanDuel); Jin Haeng Choi ($3,600 DraftKings, $5 FanDuel); Sun Jin Oh ($4,000 DraftKings, $6 FanDuel)
As alluded to earlier, the Eagles are hardly the first team that comes to mind when considering stacks, and arguably, they're often justified as being the last. Their overall body of work this season certainly makes them a tournament-only play, but the 3-4-5-6 hitters listed here all have the capability of delivering in the right circumstances. Friday's pitching matchup could well fit that criteria, considering Wyverns starter Joo Han Kim is 0-4 with a 7.20 ERA, 1.87 WHIP and .339 BAA across 15 innings over six starts. Those numbers include an atrocious road resume consisting of a 14.54 ERA, 3.00 WHIP and .429 BAA in three away turns.
No. 3 hitter Ha has yet to homer in his first 14 games, but he does bring a .320 average and .333 on-base percentage. Ha also isn't devoid of power by any means, as he slugged 30 homers between the 2016 and 2018 seasons.
Kim isn't going to be a particularly popular play given his generally pedestrian performance this season, but it's worth noting he's been a much more solid hitter at home (.267 average, compared to .224 on the road). One should also be mindful of how much better a offensively the veteran has been over a much larger sample than this year's 41 games, as he's hit no less than .305 and as high as .365 (twice) in every season dating back to 2008.
Choi is shockingly cheap for a hitter boasting a .290/.338/.532 line across 18 games, with the majority of that success coming at home (.367/.367/.700, three homers, seven RBI across nine games). Choi also comes in with three multi-hit efforts in the last five games, which has helped boost his average to a solid 7.8 DK points per contest.
Finally, Oh's bat has traveled very well, as he's slashed .324/.375/.405 across 11 road contests. He's been a bit sluggish over the last 10 games (9-for-38), but he's offered hints of a resurgence recently with a pair of two-RBI efforts in the last three games.
Bears vs. Jun Won Seo: Kyoung Min Hur (DraftKings $4,300, $10 FanDuel); Jose Fernandez ($6,400 DraftKings, $17 FanDuel); Kun Woo Park ($4,900 DraftKings, $14 FanDuel); Jae Hwan Kim ($5,600 DraftKings, $17 FanDuel)
Seo's hittable pitch mix was already discussed earlier in Fernandez's entry, making the very reasonably priced Hur and his .358/.396/.497 slash an excellent way to kick off the stack. Hur's leadoff role makes him even more appealing, and his incandescent .463 average (19-for-41) over the last 10 games speaks to how well he's seeing the ball at the moment.
Fernandez's candidacy was discussed in his entry earlier, and No. 3 hitter Park makes for an excellent way to follow him in your lineup as well. Park has saved his best for the road this season, as he's posted a .355/.416/.545 line with 15 extra-base hits (12 doubles, three home runs) and 17 RBI over 28 away contests. Park has also enjoyed his encounters with Giants pitching overall, as he's hit .333 (8-for-24) in six games against Lotte.
Finally, cleanup hitter Kim already has 11 home runs over his first 55 games, with nine of those round trippers coming across 30 road contests. Kim is averaging more than twice the amount of DK points on the road as compared to home (12.6, as opposed to 6), where he's also hitting .333. Additionally, Kim comes in with a nine-game hitting streak, and a .314 average overall in the last 10 contests.
ALSO CONSIDER: Heroes vs. Hyun Jong Yang: Keon Chang Seo ($4,400 DraftKings, $11 FanDuel); Ha Seong Kim ($5,500 DraftKings, $16 FanDuel); Jung Hoo Lee ($4,500 DraftKings, $14 FanDuel); Byung Ho Park ($4,300 DraftKings, $14 FanDuel)
