This article is part of our DraftKings KBO series.
Weather is threatening to derail the KBO's five-game Friday slate. As of this writing, all four contests in outdoor stadiums have rain probabilities of between 49 and 71 percent, making it a particularly important night to monitor the latest news before lineup lock. There is actually solid potential for offense if they can get some games in, as several suspect arms are on the hill.
As customary, I'll highlight two solid pitching options at different price points, followed by some one-off hitters across the salary scale that could also prove profitable for cash games and/or tournaments. We'll close it out with a pair of stacks that I believe are particularly set up for success against two of those questionable pitchers I alluded to earlier.
Pitchers
David Buchanan ($8,500) is actually the second-most expensive pitcher on the slate, but I see him as a better option than the $9K-priced Jake Brigham, who's struggled in in his one home start this season and faces a formidable Twins lineup. In turn, Buchanan gets a crack at the lowly Wyverns, which he's already dominated to the tune of 29.5 DK points, an 0.60 ERA and .154 BAA across 15 innings over two starts this season. Buchanan has also been a much better road pitcher, posting a 2.17 ERA and 3-1 record across five starts when traveling. However, a pair of rather rough outings in his last two trips to the mound have brought down his price, making him a particularly intriguing consideration for
Weather is threatening to derail the KBO's five-game Friday slate. As of this writing, all four contests in outdoor stadiums have rain probabilities of between 49 and 71 percent, making it a particularly important night to monitor the latest news before lineup lock. There is actually solid potential for offense if they can get some games in, as several suspect arms are on the hill.
As customary, I'll highlight two solid pitching options at different price points, followed by some one-off hitters across the salary scale that could also prove profitable for cash games and/or tournaments. We'll close it out with a pair of stacks that I believe are particularly set up for success against two of those questionable pitchers I alluded to earlier.
Pitchers
David Buchanan ($8,500) is actually the second-most expensive pitcher on the slate, but I see him as a better option than the $9K-priced Jake Brigham, who's struggled in in his one home start this season and faces a formidable Twins lineup. In turn, Buchanan gets a crack at the lowly Wyverns, which he's already dominated to the tune of 29.5 DK points, an 0.60 ERA and .154 BAA across 15 innings over two starts this season. Buchanan has also been a much better road pitcher, posting a 2.17 ERA and 3-1 record across five starts when traveling. However, a pair of rather rough outings in his last two trips to the mound have brought down his price, making him a particularly intriguing consideration for tournaments.
Je Seong Bae ($7,000) gets you plenty of savings at one pitcher spot and comes into Friday's matchup against the light-hitting Eagles having blanked them for seven innings in his one prior encounter this season. Like Buchanan, Bae had some trouble his last time out, but that came against a Twins squad that's much more potent than a Hanwha team that's last in the KBO in runs per game (3.5), hits per game (7.9) and home runs (40). There's also the matter of Bae being a much better road pitcher, as he owns a 3.11 ERA, .229 BAA, perfect 4-0 record and average of 18.1 DK points across six starts outside his home park. With the hitters on his team also drawing a very appealing matchup against the vulnerable Chad Bell, Bae should have plenty of run support to rely on in his quest for a win.
ALSO CONSIDER: Mike Wright ($8,000)
Top Targets
Mel Rojas ($6,800) is a perennial top target, and with the slugger showing no signs of slowing down and facing Chad Bell on Friday, he's certainly worthy of the hefty investment. Rojas is now hitting an absurd .432 (16-for-37) with five home runs and 10 RBI over his last 10 games following yet another homer Thursday. He's battered Eagles pitching this season for a .375 average (12-for-32) with two home runs and seven RBI, and with Chad Bell, who sports a 7.44 ERA and 1.84 WHIP over nine starts, on the mound for Hanwha, Rojas should be primed for another big night.
Jung Hoo Lee ($5,400) never seems to experience an uptick in price despite his stellar numbers, making him an excellent mid-tier option Friday. The four-year veteran is slashing .368/.432/.612 on the season, and he's hitting an outstanding .396 with runners in scoring position. Lee has laced 46 extra-base hits (30 doubles, four triples, 12 home runs) and has compiled 64 RBI overall, and he's tormented Twins pitching for a .405 average (15-for-37) in nine games. LG starter Casey Kelly could make for a good target as well, considering he carries a .287 BAA into Friday's matchup and Lee has hit .450 with a whopping 12 RBI over his last 10 games alone.
Roberto Ramos ($4,600) is a bargain at his current price, as he's slashing .300/.374/.568 with 31 extra-base hits (12 doubles, 19 home runs) and 47 RBI. Ramos has enjoyed plenty of success against Kiwoom pitching as well this season, as evidenced by a .310 average with three home runs and eight RBI across nine games, leading to an average of 9.1 DK points versus the Heroes. Also consider Ramos has thrived the most when hitting outside his home park this season – he's slugged 14 of his 19 homers and slashed .316/.395/.662 across 37 road games.
ALSO CONSIDER: Jose Fernandez ($6,200); Preston Tucker ($6,000); Sung Bum Na ($5,900); Jae Gyun Hwang ($5,500); Kyoung Min Hur ($5,200); Addison Russell ($4,800)
Bargain Bats
Ji Wan Na ($3,900) has been an excellent home-park hitter this season, slashing .326/.401/.519 with six homers and 32 RBI across 36 games at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field, the site of Friday's matchup. Na should also be low-rostered in tournaments, as he does come into the game in the midst of a 1-for-11 skid. However, considering he's still averaging 7.9 DK points per contest and carries a salary befitting of a much less productive player, he makes for a potentially rewarding GPP option that gives you the flexibility to stock up elsewhere.
Hyung Jong Lee ($3,400) his slashing an impressive .344/.475/.594 over his last 10 games, and he owns an even better overall line of .348/.455/.630 over 13 road games this season. Lee started two of the last three games, so it's important to re-verify he'll be in Friday's starting lineup. If he isn't, there are two fine alternate options below in terms of bargain bats, but if Lee is available, he's certainly worthy of consideration at his minuscule price against Heroes starter Jake Brigham, who's been hittable at times this season.
ALSO CONSIDER: Jeong Dae Bae ($4,200); Ah Seop Son ($4,000)
Stacks to Consider
Heroes vs. Casey Kelly: Keon Chang Seo ($4,200); Ha Seong Kim ($5,800); Addison Russell ($4,800); Jung Hoo Lee ($5,400)
ALSO CONSIDER: Dong Won Park ($4,900); Hyung Jong Lee ($3,400)
Kelly sports a 4.38 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and aforementioned .287 BAA across his 15 starts. He's also struggled on the road, yielding a 5.34 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and .302 opponent batting average over six away starts. Meanwhile, the Heroes come in averaging a robust 5.8 runs per game and have slugged 75 homers on their way to an impressive .276 team batting average.
Seo makes for a solid way to start off the stack, as he's averaging 8.6 DK points and is still slashing an impressive .284/.392/.422 for the season despite struggling badly over the last 10 games. Despite his recent scuffles with the bat, Seo brings a bit of everything to the table fantasy-wise, as he owns 12 doubles, five triples, five home runs and 16 stolen bases.
Kim is swinging a blistering bat, as he owns a .405 average with three home runs and an eye-popping 14 RBI over his last 10 games. The slugger also boasts an impressive 18 homers for the season and has swiped 12 bases for good measure, and he's touched up Twins pitching this season for a .333 average and an average of 12 DK points over nine games.
Russell has enjoyed his initial exposure to KBO pitching since making his debut, as he'll come into Friday slashing .375/.412/.531 with a home run and seven RBI across his first seven games. That's good for an average of 11 DK points per contest, and Russell already has four multi-hit efforts, making his salary all the more appealing.
Lee is a good way to round out the ideal version of this stack, and his many positive attributes were already detailed in his entry earlier.
Wiz vs. Chad Bell: Jae Gyun Hwang ($5,500); Mel Rojas ($6,800); Baek Ho Kang ($5,600); Jeong Dae Bae ($4,200)
ALSO CONSIDER: Yong Ho Jo ($3,600)
Bell has not been able to get it together during what has been a disastrous 2020, as he owns an 0-6 record, 7.44 ERA and 1.84 WHIP over nine starts. The Wiz check in with the second-most homers (91) and second-highest team batting average (.292) in the league as well.
Hwang starts us off with a .304/.353/.492 line that he's complemented with 28 extra-base hits (17 doubles, one triple, 10 home runs) and 43 RBI. Four of his round trippers have come over the last 10 games, when he's averaged 11.1 DK points and knocked in 11 runs.
The many reasons for Rojas' candidacy were already discussed in his entry, while Kang has been offering strong production all season reflected in his .298/.374/.520 slash that's partly comprised of 25 extra-base hits and 43 RBI over 59 games. The third-year pro also comes in swinging a hot bat, as he's scored between seven and 11 DK points in four of his last five contests.
Finally, Bae's price makes him one of the best bargains of the night, as he sports a .332/.395/.516 slash that's partly comprised of 30 extra-base hits (18 doubles, three triples, nine home runs), 36 RBI and 13 steals, and he's also hit .303 with runners in scoring position. Bae has hit .382 over his last 10 games as well, a span during which he's slugged three homers and gotten on base at a .432 clip.
