This article is part of our DraftKings KBO series.
In a wild day of KBO action, four of the five games Friday were decided by two runs or less, though the one that wasn't, the Bears 18-10 victory over the Twins, was the lone game televised in the United States. While those teams somehow managed to combine for 28 runs without hitting a single homer, stacks were nevertheless available up and down both lineups, though the most obvious Twins stacks bricked, as both Roberto Ramos and Hyun Soo Kim went hitless even as their team scored 10 runs. Stacks were also available on both sides of the Wiz's 9-8 win over the Giants, a game won by Tae Gon Oh's pinch-hit walkoff single in the 10th inning. Both Jun Woo Jeon and Mel Rojas grabbed three hits and a homer in that one. Elsewhere, Chang Mo Koo was dominant as expected against the Eagles, striking out nine while allowing just three hits and one run in seven innings, though the Dinos' offense could only manage three runs. Meanwhile, Seung Won Moon and Hyun Hee Han both pitched great games in a contest the Heroes would eventually win 2-1 on yet another walkoff single by a pinch hitter, Hyo Sang Ju, his second walkoff hit in the last two games and also just his second hit of the season. Saturday's slate almost certainly won't live up to the theatrics of a double-walkoff day, but we should be in for a set of good and potentially high-scoring games, with
In a wild day of KBO action, four of the five games Friday were decided by two runs or less, though the one that wasn't, the Bears 18-10 victory over the Twins, was the lone game televised in the United States. While those teams somehow managed to combine for 28 runs without hitting a single homer, stacks were nevertheless available up and down both lineups, though the most obvious Twins stacks bricked, as both Roberto Ramos and Hyun Soo Kim went hitless even as their team scored 10 runs. Stacks were also available on both sides of the Wiz's 9-8 win over the Giants, a game won by Tae Gon Oh's pinch-hit walkoff single in the 10th inning. Both Jun Woo Jeon and Mel Rojas grabbed three hits and a homer in that one. Elsewhere, Chang Mo Koo was dominant as expected against the Eagles, striking out nine while allowing just three hits and one run in seven innings, though the Dinos' offense could only manage three runs. Meanwhile, Seung Won Moon and Hyun Hee Han both pitched great games in a contest the Heroes would eventually win 2-1 on yet another walkoff single by a pinch hitter, Hyo Sang Ju, his second walkoff hit in the last two games and also just his second hit of the season. Saturday's slate almost certainly won't live up to the theatrics of a double-walkoff day, but we should be in for a set of good and potentially high-scoring games, with top-tier pitching in short supply.
Pitchers
Ki Young Im ($7,600 DraftKings, $27 FanDuel as "Kia Starting P") looks like the clear top option among a rather shallow group, especially on DraftKings, where he's quite affordable. He hadn't had much recent success, struggling to a 6.09 ERA and a 1.73 WHIP over his last two seasons, but he looks like an entirely different pitcher this year, cruising to a 2.82 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP. Those numbers are backed up by an excellent combination of a 22.1 percent strikeout rate and a 3.3 percent walk rate, so there's little reason to believe he'll suddenly revert to his previous form. He'll get to face a Lions lineup which ranks seventh in scoring this season.
On the opposite side of that same contest, Tae In Won ($7,700 DraftKings, $28 FanDuel as "Lions Starting P") is similarly priced on both sites and is an interesting enough option given the lack of alternatives Saturday. Unlike Im, his 2.30 ERA and 1.30 WHIP aren't nearly as well supported by his underlying numbers, but that's not to say he's pitching poorly. His ERA will likely rise when his unsustainable 85.5 percent strand rate falls, but his combination of a slightly worse than average 15.9 percent strikeout rate and a slightly better than average 7.7 percent walk rate makes him a playable option, especially against a mediocre Tigers lineup which ranks sixth in runs per game.
Jae Hak Lee ($8,900 DraftKings, $27 FanDuel as "Dinos Starting P") is far too expensive for his talent level, but he gets to face the anemic Eagles offense, a unit which has scored just 3.3 runs per game on the season and just 2.8 runs per game in the month of June. That's enough to make any decent pitcher worth a look against them, and Lee clears that modest bar. The 29-year-old's 5.35 ERA is far from good, but a .288 BABIP and a 62.5 percent strand rate are at least partially to blame. His 14.7 percent strikeout rate doesn't give him much upside, though he cruised to a 3.75 ERA last season with a strikeout rate that wasn't a whole lot higher (16.3 percent).
Top Targets
Roberto Ramos ($5,200 DraftKings, $17 FanDuel) has gone hitless in two games since returning from back and ankle injuries. There are two ways of looking at that: 1) he's clearly still hurt, or 2) any player can get cold for two games, and that tiny sample means nothing next to his dominance in his first 32 games of the year. I can't say with confidence that the second option is correct, but it's a risk I'd be willing to take in a bigger tournament, especially considering his matchup against Bears righty Jong Gi Park, who's made just one rather unconvincing start this season, where he gave up three runs in 4.2 innings against the lowly Eagles.
Baek Ho Kang ($5,700 DraftKings, $16 FanDuel) remains quite hot since returning from a three-week absence due to a wrist injury, extending his hitting streak to eight games with a double Friday against the Giants. He's hitting .424 with three homers over that stretch, striking out in just 8.3 percent of his plate appearances. The 20-year-old has cut his strikeout rate for the third straight season, as it sits at just 14.0 percent after coming in at 17.2 percent last year and 21.2 percent in 2018. The fact that he's done that while adding power, as his eight homers are already just five shy of his total of 13 from last year, is a promising sign of growth for one of the best young hitters in the league. He'll get the platoon advantage against Giants righty Adrian Sampson, who owns a rather unconvincing 7.78 ERA through his first four KBO starts.
Bargain Bats
Ji Hoon Choi ($2,800 DraftKings, $5 FanDuel) remains a strong budget choice, especially on FanDuel, where he costs the absolute minimum despite the fact that he's locked down the leadoff spot in the Wyverns' order. He doesn't provide a ton beyond a his batting average, and his .329/.361/.418 slash line could fall along with his .377 BABIP, but the fact that he's been trusted with the leadoff spot as a rookie indicates that the Wyverns like his potential, and his three steals in 23 games indicate that he has the speed necessary to run a high BABIP. He's far from a star, but you're unlikely to find better production at the cheapest possible price, especially against Heroes righty Young Gun Jo, who owns a 5.40 ERA and a 6:7 K:BB in 11.2 innings this season.
Casey Kelly's name is somewhat conspicuously absent from the pitcher section above, but he really hasn't been that good this year so I'd be quite nervous using him against the heavily left-handed Bears lineup. He's probably better than his 5.21 ERA suggests, but his 17.1 percent strikeout rate is thoroughly mediocre, and his 6.7 percent walk rate is good but far from elite. His 2.55 ERA last season (as well as the abundance of even more exploitable arms) is enough to keep me off a full Bears stack, but I'd be quite interested to own a piece or two of their lineup nonetheless. Joo Hwan Choi ($2,000 DraftKings, $11 FanDuel) provides a very budget-friendly way to do that, especially on DraftKings, where he's rather confusingly priced at the minimum. His .283/.369/.536 season slash line is quite strong, but he's been even better in his last three games, going 6-for-11 with two homers, seven runs and seven RBI.
Stacks To Consider
Heroes vs. Geon Wook Lee: Jung Hoo Lee ($5,400 DraftKings, $14 FanDuel), Keon Chang Seo ($4,500 DraftKings, $11 FanDuel), Hye Sung Kim ($2,900 DraftKings, $9 FanDuel)
Geon Wook Lee may have a strong 2.91 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP through four starts and a pair of relief appearances this season, but there's little reason to believe that will continue. In a league where top pitchers frequently establish themselves in their teens or early twenties, Lee had only thrown two KBO innings prior to this year, his age-25 campaign. His numbers this season don't hold up under closer scrutiny, as he's surviving mostly due to a .226 BABIP and an 81.9 percent strand rate. His below-average 16.9 percent strikeout rate and poor 11.2 percent walk rate suggest that significant regression is due to come his way.
As he always does against a right-hander, 21-year-old outfielder Jung Hoo Lee leads this stack. He stormed out of the gates with a .359/.430/.598 slash line in May and hasn't slowed down since the calendar flipped to June, hitting an even stronger .390/.455/.661. He now sits fourth among qualified hitters with a .371 batting average and second with a .437 on-base percentage. Best of all, he's done all that while adding power, as his six homers are already tied for his career high.
Leadoff man Seo has seen his price gradually rise on DraftKings, but it still seems quite fair for the former MVP. He's stuck in a bit of a slump, grabbing just one hit in his last four games, but this contest seems to be as good a time as ever for him to get hot again. Even after his recent cold stretch, his .277/.377/.416 slash line is perfectly adequate for a leadoff man, and there's plenty of reason to believe that line will improve soon, as his .288 BABIP is well below his marks from his last four seasons, where he finished with BABIPs no lower than .332. Even as his contributions at the plate remain modest, he's found ways to provide value, as his nine steals lead the league.
Kim (not to be confused with his teammate Ha Seong Kim, who's also eligible at shortstop) could be breaking out in his age-21 campaign. He'd never produced an OPS north of .700 in his first three KBO seasons, but he's hitting .282/.341/.470 this season, numbers that don't look particularly unsustainable given his .333 BABIP. He's by no means an elite bat, but he's moved up to the second spot in the order for the Heroes' last two games, so he looks like a bargain in this one with the platoon advantage against an unreliable righty and a prime lineup position between Seo and Lee.
Giants vs. Hyeong Jun So: Ah Seop Son ($3,900 DraftKings, $13 FanDuel), Jun Woo Jeon ($4,500 DraftKings, $12 FanDuel), Dae Ho Lee ($4,200 DraftKings, $10 FanDuel)
The Giants' offense still ranks eighth in scoring on the season, managing a modest 4.6 runs per game, but they've stepped things up lately, averaging 6.1 runs over their last 10 contests. They're a good bet to continue that level of performance against So on Saturday. The 18-year-old's 6.34 ERA through his first seven starts in his rookie season tells the story well enough on its own, but his outlook remains similarly negative when diving deeper into his statline. His 5.9 percent walk rate is quite good, but that's just about the only positive thing you can say, as he's struck out a miniscule 8.9 percent of opposing batters while allowing 1.4 HR/9. He's given up seven runs to the mediocre Lions this season and a whopping eight to the awful Eagles, so there's plenty of reason to bet on another big number here.
The Giants' lineup skews heavily right-handed, but So is a weak enough opponent that it's worth stacking them anyway. The choice between which righties to include isn't easy, but Son, the lone lefty who hits anywhere near the top of the order, seems like the best place to start this stack. The outfielder has been on a tear over his last 10 games, recording seven multi-hit contests while hitting .413/.429/.587. He should have plenty of chances to get on base batting out of one of the top three spots in the Giants' order in this one and should add to his total of 32 runs, a number which currently has him tied for third in the league.
34-year-old Jeon has only gotten better with age, as four of his five highest marks in OPS have come in his last four seasons. He hit .301 with 22 homers last season and appears to be in line for a similar season this year, as he's hitting .304 with eight bombs, a mark that ties him for seventh in the league. He's riding a 12-game hitting streak, hitting .339 with four homers, 10 runs and 11 RBI over that stretch. There's every reason to believe that streak will continue against So.
There are a few directions to go in to complete this stack, but veteran cleanup hitter Lee seems as good an option as any, especially on FanDuel, where he's quite cheap and doesn't have to compete at a very deep first-base position. The slugger, who turns 38 on Sunday, saw his home-run total drop to just 16 last season, but that looks like it may be more due to the de-juiced ball than to his age, as he's launched seven homers already this season, putting him on pace for 25.8 over the course of year--a step down from his total of 37 in 2018, but a fine number in its own right. He's hitting the ball quite well lately, as three of those homers have come in his last five games. He could hit another against So, who's had a home-run problem in his rookie campaign.
