DFS KBO: Sunday Cheat Sheet

Saturday's KBO slate featured a number of untrustworthy pitchers, and while not every game was high-scoring, there were certainly a few stacks that turned out quite well. The Giants led the day with 16 runs in their blowout victory over the Tigers, plating seven against starter Min Woo Lee in just two thirds of an inning and hardly letting up from there. Jun Woo Jeon, Dae Ho Lee and Byung Kyu Lee each finished with a combined five runs and RBI. The Dinos weren't far behind, defeating the Eagles by a 13-1 score, with Sung Wook Kim going 3-for-6 with a grand slam and Mike Wright allowing just one run in seven innings. The Lions had a big day of their own, beating the Wyverns 8-2, with the bottom two hitters in the order -- Min Ho Kang and Ho Jae Kim -- each managing three hits and a homer and starter David Buchanan striking out eight and allowing just two runs over seven strong innings. Elsewhere, Raul Alcantara dominated the Heroes, striking out seven while allowing just three hits over seven scoreless innings as the Bears won 4-0. Both Yun Sik Kim and Je Seong Bae had strong (albeit fairly short) outings as the Twins got past the Wiz 3-1.

Sunday's slate, which begins bright and early at 1 a.m. ET, features a very strong group of pitchers at the top. Note that the first game of the Heroes-Bears doubleheader is included, but the second is not.

Pitchers

Dan Straily ($9,800) is the best option among a top tier that runs four pitchers deep, and while he's the most expensive, he's probably worth paying up for. He ran into a rare slump from mid-August through early September, allowing five or more runs in three out of five starts. He seems to be back to his old form now, however, as he's allowed just a single earned run on four hits while striking out 13 batters in 12 innings over his last two starts. Even with the poor stretch factored in, he's in the conversation as the league's best pitcher, as he ranks third among qualified starters in ERA (2.66) and WHIP (1.05), while his 25.6 percent strikeout rate easily leads that group. He also faces the weakest lineup out of the top four pitchers on this slate, squaring off against the seventh-ranked Tigers offense.

Chris Flexen ($8,600) looks like the next-best choice in the top tier against a good but not dominant Heroes lineup which ranks fifth in scoring. Flexen missed nearly two months with a broken foot, but he doesn't appear to be feeling any lingering effects of the injury. His 4.50 ERA in three starts since his return isn't dominant, but his 1.21 WHIP is quite strong and his 15.4 K/9 is remarkable. On the season as a whole, his 25.2 percent strikeout rate is a near match for Straily's and he's paired it with a solid 8.2 percent walk rate, suggesting he deserves better than his 3.92 ERA.

In the budget bracket, Hyun Hee Han ($6,700) looks like the best option. His matchup against the third-ranked Bears lineup isn't as tough as it normally would be, as they've scored just 3.5 runs per game over their last 15 contests, which would rank last on the season had they been at that level all year. Han's numbers are deceptive as well, as his 5.01 ERA is held back quite a bit by a two-start stretch in July in which he allowed 17 runs in 3.2 innings; take those out, and his ERA drops to 3.91. Since those disastrous outings, he has a 3.57 ERA and a remarkable 0.93 WHIP in 12 starts. In his last two starts, he hasn't allowed a single run while giving up just seven hits in 13 frames.

Top Targets

Sung Bum Na ($6,000) missed 10 days with a left hamstring issue and didn't start his first two games back with the team, though the fact that he doubled off the bench in both was a strong indication that he's feeling just fine. He followed that up by starting and reaching base four times Saturday, which should remove any lingering doubts about his health. A healthy Na is among the best hitters in the league, with his 1.020 OPS ranking second in the league. He'll get the platoon advantage against Eagles righty Shi Hwan Jang, who's been good at times this season but owns a 5.36 ERA, a 1.64 WHIP and a 23:18 K:BB over his last eight starts.

On a day without other even more compelling options, the Wyverns easily could have been a recommended stack here at the league's most hitter-friendly park against Tae In Won, who owns a 6.89 ERA and a 1.72 WHIP over his last 10 starts. The Wyverns are struggling as a team at the moment, but Jamie Romak ($5,100) is worthy of inclusion even without any of his teammates. The Canadian slugger has had his fair share of slumps this season but has been quite good over his last 39 games, hitting .317/.416/.633 with 12 homers and 38 RBI over that stretch.

Bargain Bats

The Eagles easily could have been a recommended stack against Jae Hak Lee, who owns a 6.89 ERA on the season. A shortage of trustworthy options led me to look elsewhere, but Si Hwan Noh ($3,400) appears to be worth a look. The second-year player owns a poor .670 OPS on the season after posting a .499 OPS as a rookie, but he's been a respectable option for quite a while now. Over his last 30 games, he's hitting a solid .270/.347/.450, and he's currently in the middle of a six-game hitting streak, which he extended with a homer Saturday. His cheap price tag and eligibility at both second and third base makes him an interesting play given the matchup.

Sung Wook Kim ($2,300) is by no means one of the Dinos' top hitters, but if he continues to hit in one of the first two spots in the lineup, as he's done in five of the team's last eight games, he'll be an excellent budget choice almost regardless of his own talent given the strength of the hitters around him. The 27-year-old has had some fairly effective seasons in the past, posting an OPS as high as .801 back in 2016, but he's coming off a year in which he struggled to a .689 OPS and didn't have a significant role early in the season. It's hard to argue with the opportunities he's received recently given his performance of late, however, as he's hitting .323/.432/.677 with three homers and two steals in his last 10 games.

Stacks to Consider

Twins vs. Min Soo Kim: Roberto Ramos ($5,900), Hyun Soo Kim ($5,300), Chan Gi Hong ($3,100)

There's plenty of competition for the weakest pitcher on this slate, but Min Soo Kim might earn the honors. His 6.00 ERA and 1.75 WHIP in 87 innings as a swingman make a compelling enough case on their own, and digging deeper doesn't help him much. His 6.7 percent walk rate is strong, but it may be that low primarily because hitters are typically already on base by the time he has a chance to walk them. He's striking out just 12.9 percent of opposing batters while allowing 12.9 hits and 1.3 homers per nine innings.

The stack listed here features two of the best and hottest left-handed hitters in the league in Ramos and Hyun Soo Kim, both of whom will get the platoon advantage here. Ramos has a 1.682 OPS with five homers in his last six games, while Kim has a 1.099 OPS with 21 RBI in his last 10. Leadoff man Hong, who also hits left-handed, rounds out the stack here, as his .425 on-base percentage over his last 40 games should give him multiple chances to be driven in by the aforementioned pair.

Lions vs. Jong Hoon Park: Ja Wook Koo ($4,700), Daniel Palka ($2,900), Dong Yeop Kim ($2,900)

Park has more to his resume than Kim does, as he had an ERA below 4.20 in each of the last three seasons. 2020 hasn't gone well for him, however, as he owns a 5.36 ERA through 23 starts. He's actually been significantly worse than that for the bulk of the season, as he owned a strong 3.44 ERA over his first six starts but has a 6.09 ERA since then. His 20.3 percent strikeout rate is a solid mark, but it comes with a 10.7 percent walk rate. He's coming off a pair of outings in which he allowed 10 totals runs in 10.1 innings while walking seven and striking out just six. The Lions don't have a particularly intimidating offense, but they're very much worth a look as a budget stack in the league's most hitter-friendly park.

The Lions trio listed here features the team's likely three, four and five hitters. Koo earns a spot despite a recent slump, as his .309/.385/.462 season slash line remains quite strong. Palka hasn't torn up the KBO since joining the Lions in late August, posting an overall .748 OPS, but he's still far too cheap for a former MLB player and is trending in the right direction, hitting .333 with a pair of homers in his last five games. Finally, Kim remains the most underpriced player in the league, as he's hitting .448/.450/.759 over his last 14 games and has a 1.102 OPS in 35 contests since returning from a demotion in early August.