DFS KBO: Thursday Cheat Sheet

Wednesday's KBO slate was something of a frustrating one, whether you were able to set your lineups at the last minute or not. If you aren't typically up in the middle of the night, you may have missed that the Wyverns-Twins game got rained out. If you were available at the last minute, you might have seen the tarp go up at Suwon KT Wiz Park and pivoted away from the Tigers and Wiz, only to miss out on the Tigers' 10-run performance as well as Aaron Brooks' five shutout innings, which turned out to be a complete game in a game which was ultimately cut short. If you turned away from the Tigers to stack the red-hot Dinos or the Heroes, who had an excellent matchup in the league's most hitter-friendly park, you were rewarded with just a single run by either team. Meanwhile, I learned my lesson about recommending Eagles, who got blown out 12-2 by a mediocre Giants team even while seemingly having a clear advantage on paper in the pitching matchup. Thursday's slate will be a slightly odd one, as the Wyverns-Twins rainout means there will be a doubleheader Thursday. On both DraftKings and FanDuel, only the first game of that doubleheader will be part of the main slate, meaning one game's lineups will lock several hours before the rest.

Pitchers

Won Tae Choi ($9,300 DraftKings, $26 FanDuel as "Kiwoom Starting P") is a step down from the league's elite arms, but the 23-year-old is still a very good pitcher. The main thing holding him back from the top tier is his strikeout rate, which sits at a roughly average 17.3 percent. Everything else about his statline is quite strong, as he owns a 3.44 ERA, a 1.12 WHIP and a 4.3 percent walk rate, and this isn't a new level of performance for him, either, as he cruised to a 3.38 ERA last season. He'll be pitching in the league's most hitter-friendly park Thursday, but a matchup against the seventh-ranked Lions lineup isn't particularly intimidating regardless of where it's being played.

Min Woo Lee ($8,00 DraftKings, $25 FanDuel as "Kia Starting P") is a 27-year-old without much of a track record, but it's hard to argue with what he's done this year. After struggling to a 5.43 ERA as a swingman last season, he's posted a solid 3.86 mark this year, which he's paired with a 1.10 WHIP. His .259 BABIP will likely rise, and he won't continue to completely avoid allowing home runs in the future, but some positive regression from his very low 54.8 percent strand rate should help offset that. He'll face a Wiz lineup which looked like one of the best in the league earlier in the year but which has scored just four runs over its last four games.

I'm again nervous about paying up for the most expensive starter on the slate when he's facing the excellent Bears lineup, so I don't have a ton of interest in Mike Wright in this one despite his talent. Instead, I'll go with the rather mediocre but very cheap Jun Won Seo ($6,500 DraftKings, $22 FanDuel as "Lotte Starting P") for the third slot. The 19-year-old doesn't have a ton of upside, as his decent 4.28 ERA and 1.34 WHIP are supported by a very low 9.9 percent strikeout rate. What he does have, however, is a matchup against the pitiful Eagles, losers of 16 straight games. The Eagles haven't scored more than three runs in any of their last eight contests and have averaged just 2.6 runs per game over the course of their unbelievably long losing streak.

Top Targets

Even in a five-inning game Wednesday, Preston Tucker ($5,700 DraftKings, $17 FanDuel) managed to reach base four times, going 2-for-2 with a pair of walks. He hasn't quite kept up his .326/.396/.611 line from the month of May, but his .310/.375/.552 line through eight games in June is still quite strong. He remains the league leader with 31 RBI on the season, an impressive feat given that the Tigers' offense ranks a modest sixth in runs per game, while his eight homers tie him for fourth. He'll get the platoon advantage Thursday against Wiz righty Min Soo Kim, who's allowed 14 runs in 10.1 innings this season, pitching primarily out of the bullpen.

The Dinos' lineup had a rare poor game Wednesday, scoring just one run, their first time scoring fewer than eight runs in over a week. They should have a good shot to get right back to their ridiculously high standards Thursday against Bears' righty Young Ha Lee, whose 24:23 K:BB doesn't come close to supporting his solid 4.24 ERA. Sung Bum Na ($5,800 DraftKings, $17 FanDuel) is the most obvious Dino to include if you aren't looking to go for a full stack. The left-handed slugger's hitless day Wednesday followed a stretch in which he'd gone hitless just once in 15 games while hitting .433/.500/.900 with six homers.

Bargain Bats

Wyverns number two hitter Ji Hoon Choi ($2,800 DraftKings, $5 FanDuel) costs the absolute minimum on FanDuel and is very cheap on DraftKings as well. The 22-year-old rookie has only played 14 games in his KBO career, but he has hit the ball quite well, posting a .372/.426/.512 slash line. He's also stolen two bases after stealing three in eight games in the Futures League. While his .432 BABIP will undoubtedly fall quite a bit, the fact that the Wyverns have slotted him into the second spot indicates that they think quite highly of him. He'll get the platoon advantage against Twins righty Min Ho Lee, an 18-year-old rookie whose 1.10 ERA in 16.1 innings isn't backed up by his unimpressive 9:6 K:BB.

It's hard to have a ton of faith in Byung Woo Jeon ($2,400 DraftKings, $5 FanDuel), a 27-year-old with only 132 career plate appearances prior to this season, but it's also hard to ignore with what he's done at the plate lately. He moved into the starting role at third base at the end of May and has hit .389/.450/.639 in nine games since being inserted into the lineup. While he'll likely bat sixth and won't get the platoon advantage against Lions righty Dae Woo Kim, he nevertheless makes a quality cheap addition to the Heroes stack listed below. He's a very inexpensive option at a surprisingly shallow third-base position on DraftKings and costs the minimum on FanDuel.

Stacks to Consider

Giants vs. Min Jae Jang: Ah Seop Son ($3,400 DraftKings, $12 FanDuel), Jun Woo Jeon ($4,200 DraftKings, $13 FanDuel), Dae Ho Lee ($3,800 DraftKings, $10 FanDuel)

The Giants' offense ranks just eighth in scoring this season, but that doesn't seem to matter against the lowly Eagles, as they've scored a total of 21 runs in the first two games of the season. There's little reason to believe that should change against Jang, who's allowed 12 runs across seven innings over his last two starts. His 3.2 percent walk rate this season is just about the only good aspect of his line this year, as he's struck out just 14.0 percent of opposing batters and allowed a .360 batting average to go along with his 7.58 ERA and 1.84 WHIP. Some regression in his .397 BABIP should bring those numbers down a bit, but the 30-year-old hasn't been an intimidating arm at any point in his career, as he owns a lifetime 5.72 ERA and 1.67 WHIP.

The Giants are short on lefties, but leadoff man Ah Seop Son seems like the clear leader of this stack, as he'll be the lone Giant near the top of the lineup who will get the platoon advantage against Jang. As is typical of a table-setter, Son is much better at getting on base than hitting the ball out of the park, but his overall .339/.439/.452 slash line is quite strong. He did launch his second homer of the season Wednesday, part of his second three-hit game in a row and his third such game in his last eight contests.

Number two hitter Jeon is the most expensive Giants bat on both sites, but he doesn't look overpriced in this matchup. The 34-year-old came into the season having posted an OPS of .839 or better in three straight campaigns and doesn't appear to be losing a step this year, as he's hit .293/.341/.512 through his first 30 games. Like Son, he homered as part of a three-hit day Wednesday, his fifth homer of the season.

Lee is stuck competing at a very deep first-base position on DraftKings, but he looks like good value for his price tag against Jang. The 37-year-old saw his OPS dip below .800 for the first time since 2004 last year, but he's back in vintage form this season, hitting .327/.409/.496. His power may not be what it once was, as he's managed a modest four homers, but the cleanup hitter is seeing the ball extremely well, posting a 12.1 percent walk rate and a 10.6 percent strikeout rate.

Heroes vs. Dae Woo Kim: Jung Hoo Lee ($5,300 DraftKings, $14 FanDuel), Keon Chang Seo ($3,900 DraftKings, $11 FanDuel), Ha Seong Kim, ($6,100 DraftKings, $15 FanDuel)

Wednesday's Heroes stack may have been a complete dud, as they couldn't manage a run in six innings against the previously unimpressive Jung Hyun Baek, but I'm happy to right back to the well here with another shaky Lion on the mound in the league's most hitter-friendly park. Dae Woo Kim's 4.29 ERA and 1.43 WHIP through 21 innings this season are both fine marks, but there's little reason to believe they're an accurate reflection of his abilities. He can credit a .225 BABIP for most of his modest success this year, as he's struck just 8.5 percent of opposing batters while walking 11.7 percent. The 31-year-old has a long track record as a rather poor pitcher, as he's never finished with an ERA below 4.94 in his eight-year KBO career.

A righty on the mound for the Lions means we'll switch to a lefty-led Heroes stack here. That means starting with Lee, one of the best young talents in the entire league. The 21-year-old's 12-game hitting streak came to a halt Wednesday, but his overall numbers remain excellent, as he's hitting .362/.420/.598. He'd never hit more than six homers in a season, but he's already launched five bombs this year. The fact that he's added power without sacrificing his excellent control of the zone is a very encouraging sign for his future, as he's walked 13 times while striking out just 10 times this season.

Leadoff man Seo is one of the best mid-priced options on either site. The 2014 MVP isn't slowing down in his age-30 season, hitting a strong .306/.403/.472. Like Lee, he demonstrates remarkable knowledge of the strike zone, walking 17 times to go with just 10 strikeouts. He's shown modest power, hitting four homers, while also being a threat with his legs, as his seven steals tie him for the league lead.

Ha Seong Kim won't get the platoon advantage in this game, and he's very expensive on DraftKings, but he provides unparalleled production at the rather shallow shortstop position. He's riding a 10-game hitting streak, posting a .400/.500/.625 slash line with eight walks and three strikeouts over that stretch. Batting out of the number two spot, right between Seo and Lee, he does a little bit of everything, homering five times and stealing four bases to go along with his .283 batting average. Additionally, completing the trio of Heroes with incredible eyes, he's walked 23 times to go with his 14 strikeouts on the year.