This article is part of our DraftKings KBO series.
We have an interesting five-game slate on tap Friday, one that includes a pair of matinee games that kick off a couple doubleheaders. We have as much projected offense as usual, as oddsmakers have attached double-digit run totals to three of the five contests. However, we still have some relatively pricey but trustworthy arms in action and plenty of potent bats to take advantage of, several of which are sporting salaries that can be considered bargains.
As customary, I'll highlight what I consider to be two of the safer 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. I'll then break down the two stacks that I trust the most to potentially string some above-average offensive numbers together and pay off for you in tournaments.
Pitchers
Hyun Jong Yang ($9,600) carries an elevated 4.92 ERA, but he's been much better on the road (4.21 ERA, 14.8 DK points per game) than at home (6.05 ERA, 10.8 DK points per game). Yang also comes into Friday's matchup just one out short of having generated four consecutive quality starts, a stretch during which he's posted an elite 30:9 K:BB across 24.1 innings. Yang also hasn't yielded a home run in seven straight starts, and he was excellent against the Giants in his one prior start against them this season. Yang held Lotte to one earned run on two hits and a walk over six innings while
We have an interesting five-game slate on tap Friday, one that includes a pair of matinee games that kick off a couple doubleheaders. We have as much projected offense as usual, as oddsmakers have attached double-digit run totals to three of the five contests. However, we still have some relatively pricey but trustworthy arms in action and plenty of potent bats to take advantage of, several of which are sporting salaries that can be considered bargains.
As customary, I'll highlight what I consider to be two of the safer 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. I'll then break down the two stacks that I trust the most to potentially string some above-average offensive numbers together and pay off for you in tournaments.
Pitchers
Hyun Jong Yang ($9,600) carries an elevated 4.92 ERA, but he's been much better on the road (4.21 ERA, 14.8 DK points per game) than at home (6.05 ERA, 10.8 DK points per game). Yang also comes into Friday's matchup just one out short of having generated four consecutive quality starts, a stretch during which he's posted an elite 30:9 K:BB across 24.1 innings. Yang also hasn't yielded a home run in seven straight starts, and he was excellent against the Giants in his one prior start against them this season. Yang held Lotte to one earned run on two hits and a walk over six innings while recording four strikeouts, an outing that led to 21.1 DK points.
Odrisamer Despaigne ($8,800) has been at his best at home, where he owns a 3.56 ERA across 55.2 innings over nine starts. He posted a quality start against the Wyverns in his one previous encounter against them as well, allowing two earned runs on six hits over seven innings, and he boasts an impressive 7-2 record and average of 15.3 DK points over his last 10 trips to the mound. Despaigne has been a bit more hittable lately (11 ER allowed over 17.2 innings across his last three starts), but he has a great chance for a resurgence against SK's often anemic offense, which is ranked only above last-place Hanwha in runs per game (4.4), hits per game (8.5) and team batting average (.253).
ALSO CONSIDER: Hyun Hee Han ($6,500)
Top Targets
Eui Ji Yang ($6,700) is one of several Dinos in a good position Friday against southpaw Yun Sik Kim, who's yielded a 6.15 ERA, 1.51 WHIP and .282 opponent average over 16 appearances (six starts). Yang checks in with a scalding hot bat over the last 10 games overall and against the Twins. The slugging backstop has a .412 average (14-for-34) with three home runs and eight RBI across his last 10 contests, and he's tormented LG pitching for a .424 average (14-for-33) with six doubles, one homer and nine RBI across eight games, good for an average of 14.1 DK points.
Baek Ho Kang ($5,200) draws a good opposite-handed matchup in his own right against Wyverns starter Jong Hoon Park, who walks into Friday's matchup with a 5.35 ERA and 1.49 WHIP over 19 starts. Kang boasts a .320/.400/.593 slash line with 22 XBH and 29 RBI in 41 home games as well, a .395 average with three homers and seven RBI over his last 10 contests and a .364 average (12-for-33) and 10.3 DK points per contest in nine prior games versus the Wyverns. Kang is also arguably underpriced for his potential upside – enhancing his already strong appeal – considering he's exceeded 20 DK points on four occasions in the last 10 contests alone.
Kyoung Min Hur ($4,400) continues to reside in the bargain section of the salary scale despite outstanding season numbers that include a .354/.397/.472 slash with 19 XBH, 36 RBI, 10 steals and 40 runs over 72 games. Hur is also hitting a stellar .439 with runners in scoring position and has done his most damage on the road, where he sports a .369/.421/.546 line that includes eight doubles and five of his six homers on the campaign. He's enjoyed his time against Lions pitching as well, which he's thrived against to the tune of a .323 average (10-for-31) in nine games.
ALSO CONSIDER: Sung Bum Na ($7,000); Aaron Altherr ($6,400); Jose Fernandez ($6,100); Mel Rojas ($6,000); Preston Tucker ($5,800); Ha Seong Kim ($5,600); Jae Gyun Hwang ($5,400)
Bargain Bats
Sang Su Kim ($4,100) continues to carry a very reasonable salary for a player with a .319 average and elite .416 on-base percentage, figures that he's generated with the help of 17 doubles, two triples and three home runs. Kim also has 30 RBI and eight steals, along with a .368 average with runners in scoring position. It's also worth noting Kim as been particularly effective against the Bears, as he owns a .500/.563/.750 line with five doubles and one triple across seven games versus Doosan. Opposing starter Hui Kwan Yu makes for a good target as well, as he's allowed a .329 batting average and 1.67 WHIP across 19 starts.
Jae Il Oh ($4,000) benefits from the same favorable matchup as his teammate Hur versus David Buchanan, who's struggled in his home park in the form of a 5.02 ERA, .283 BAA and 1.2 HR/9 across 66.1 innings. Oh gets a coveted opposite-handed matchup versus the right-hander and checks in with a .310 average, three home runs and seven RBI across his last 10 contests. Oh has also been a much better performer on the road, where his .379 average is nearly 100 points higher than his .285 home figure, and where he's belted 11 of his 13 homers on the campaign. Oh also has 47 of his 60 RBI on the season when traveling and boasts a .383 average with runners in scoring position overall this season.
ALSO CONSIDER: Joo Hwan Choi ($3,800)
Stacks to Consider
Dinos vs. Yun Sik Kim: Sung Bum Na ($7,000); Eui Ji Yang ($6,700); Jin Sung Kang ($4,600); Aaron Altherr ($6,400)
Kim's various troubling metrics were already discussed earlier in Yang's entry. It's also worth noting the Dinos check in averaging the most runs (6.2) per game, and they've also averaged the second-most hits (10.4) per contest and lead the KBO in home runs (126).
Na is the most expensive hitter on this slate, but if you can find a way to make his rostering work, he's certainly worth the investment. The prodigious slugger carries an 11.3 DK-point average and is now up to 55 XBH for the season, including 27 homers. Five of those have come in the last 10 games alone, a span during which he's also averaging an elite 13.9 DK points per contest. Na has also hit .387 over seven prior games against LG and is hitting .330 with runners in scoring position.
Yang's many appealing attributes were discussed in his entry earlier, while Kang profiles as the bargain of the stack with his $4.6K salary. The veteran is a steal at that price when considering he sports a .337/.370/.541 line for the season that includes 31 XBH and 54 RBI over 80 games. Kang is also hitting .361 with runners in scoring position and is hitting .333 over his last 10 contests.
Finally, Altherr gives you some more elite power to round out the stack with. The former Philadelphia Phillies outfielder has rebounded nicely from a recent slump, as he's generated a .412 average (14-for-34) with four doubles, two home runs and eight RBI across his last 10 games. Altherr is up to 21 homers for the season overall and has slugged 12 of those round trippers on the road, where he carries a .304/.352/.589 line across 43 games.
Bears vs. David Buchanan: Jose Fernandez ($6,100); Jae Il Oh ($4,000); Jae Hwan Kim ($4,900); Kyoung Min Hur ($4,400)
ALSO CONSIDER: Joo Hwan Choi ($3,800)
As mentioned in Oh's entry, Buchanan has had most of his troubles in his home park, and he's shown a propensity for allowing the long ball there in particular. Meanwhile, the Bears come in averaging 5.9 runs and a KBO-high 10.6 hits per game, along with a KBO-best .299 team batting average.
Fernandez makes for an explosive stack starter, as he carries a .364/.425/.541 line for the season that's partly comprised of 39 XBH, including 16 homers, and 78 RBI over 98 games. The left-handed slugger could certainly benefit from the opposite-handed matchup, and he's already thrived against Lions pitching this season to the tune of a .353 average and 14 RBI over 13 games. What's more, Fernandez is at his most dangerous when traveling – he sports a .386/.435/.591 slash with 12 home runs and 50 RBI in 50 road games.
The case for rostering Oh was already made in his entry earlier, while Kim is a rock-solid sub-$5K candidate for this stack. The veteran has 15 doubles, 19 home runs, 78 RBI and six steals as part of a .280/.389/.487 slash line for the season, with a good chunk of that success on the road – Kim sports a .304 average, .529 slugging percentage, 12 of his 19 homers and 47 of his 78 RBI in 50 away games.
The stack can then be rounded out with another highly cost-effective option in Hur, who, like Oh, has the bat to significantly outpace his salary and was already elaborated on.
