DFS KBO: Thursday Cheat Sheet

Five-game KBO slates are evidently still possible, and we finally got one Wednesday. The Eagles and Heroes provided the best game, with the Heroes eventually winning on Jung Hoo Lee's walkoff homer in the 10th inning. Elsewhere, the potential pitchers' duel between Drew Rucinski and Dan Straily didn't come to pass, as Straily held up his end of the bargain by striking out six and allowing two runs over six innings, but the streaking Giants rocked Rucinski for eight runs in five frames in the 8-4 win. The other three games were even more one-sided. The Bears blasted Chae Heung for 11 runs on 17 hits in five innings, with the star trio of Jose Fernandez, Jae Il Oh and Jae Hwan Kim combining for 10 hits, two homers and 10 RBI. Meanwhile, the Twins scored five runs off the typically excellent Aaron Brooks in just six innings while Chang Gyu Lim struck out nine Tigers and five hitless, scoreless innings as the Twins won 8-0. In the fifth and final game, Jong Hoon Park and the Wyverns held a strong Wiz lineup to just two hits and two runs while Jeong Choi homered and drove in three of his side's 11 runs in an upset victory. 

We can't be entirely certain that we'll get back-to-back full slates Thursday, though none of the contests look threatened as of writing. 

Pitchers

Jake Brigham ($9,400) comes with plenty of risk, but he's still potentially worth paying up for given the scarcity of other top-tier options. The righty struggled to a 5.00 ERA over his first four starts of the year before missing nearly two months with elbow problems. He returned to allow just one run over his next two starts before the issue returned, sending him on another brief trip to the injured list. He's since returned to make two more starts, though those haven't gone nearly as well, as he's allowed nine earned runs in 8.2 innings. The downside here is quite significant for someone who's the most expensive pitcher on the slate, but there's plenty of upside as well, which comes partially from the fact that he's facing the Eagles and partially from the fact that he's one of the better pitchers in the league when healthy, as evidenced by his 2.96 ERA last season.

Casey Kelly ($8,700) is perhaps the most reliable option on the slate, though he's hardly been elite this season, posting a mediocre 4.25 ERA through 16 starts. He was quite good last year, however, recording a 2.55 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP, and he's been quite good in most of his recent starts, recording a quality start in six of his last seven trips to the mound. The former major leaguer owned a 5.00 ERA through his first eight starts this season but has a 3.25 mark over those last seven outings. He'll have a good shot to stay hot against the eighth-ranked Tigers lineup.

Among a rather weak group of starters, Je Seong Bae ($7,200) is worth a look, primarily because he faces the Wyverns. While the Wyverns did explode for 11 runs in Wednesday's game, one good game isn't enough to make their lineup suddenly an intimidating one after they'd scored two or fewer runs in seven of their previous eight contests. Bae wouldn't ordinarily be particularly interesting on his own, however, as his decent 4.11 ERA this season comes with a poor pair of a 14.9 percent strikeout rate and a 10.7 percent walk rate. He's generally been pitching well lately, however, giving up a total of just five runs across a three-start stretch before a poor outing against the Twins his last time out.

Top Targets

Hyun Soo Kim ($5,500) remains the leader of the Twins' lineup with Roberto Ramos continuing to struggle. The veteran has been one of the KBO's top bats for quite some time, though his numbers appeared to be slipping last season as he posted a fine but forgettable .813 OPS and hit just 11 homers. That now appears to be more a product of the juiced ball than of aging, as he's bounced back to hit .346/.404/.577 this season and has already homered 16 times. Six of those homers have come in his last 22 games, a stretch in which he's hitting .402/.479/.683 while driving in 23 runs and striking out just six times. He'll get the platoon advantage against Tigers righty Min Woo Lee, who owns a 7.71 ERA over his last four starts.

Dixon Machado ($4,300) has been quite streaky during his first KBO season, but he's certainly on one of his good streaks at the moment. Over his last 20 games, he's hitting .420/.487/.667, making him a big part of the Giants' recent surge. The defensive-minded shortstop hit just two homers in 172 career MLB games before heading overseas, though he surpassed that total in his first five KBO games and had four homers in his first 11 contests. His power predictably fell off after that, as he didn't manage a single homer in his next 51 games, but he's hit a respectable three over his last 13 appearances. His Giants are set to face Dinos rookie Min Hyuk Shin, who will make his first career KBO start and just his third career KBO appearance.

Bargain Bats

Jae Il Oh ($3,900) remains one of the strongest mid-priced first basemen, and not just because he regularly bats third for one of the league's best lineups. He's swung the bat quite well all year, hitting .349/.406/.545. His 10 homers in 66 games represents a rather modest total for the position, but more long balls should be on their way, as he's averaged 25.3 home runs over the previous four seasons. His power appears to be picking up, as he's homered in two straight games and in three of his last seven contests. He'll get the platoon advantage in the league's most hitter-friendly park against Lions righty Ben Lively, who hasn't looked good in his last two starts, allowing eight runs in 11 innings while posting a 7:9 K:BB.

Chang Min Mo ($2,700) was supposed to be the Dinos' primary first baseman this season after hitting a strong .305/.359/.466 last season, but an early injury combined with the surprising emergence of Jin Sung Kang wound up confining him to a bench role. Kang is currently out with a thumb injury, so Mo has regained his starting spot. He's looked quite good over his last 10 games, hitting .357/.400/.571. He should be a solid budget choice at either corner infield spot against Giants righty Adrian Sampson, who's struggled to a 6.24 ERA through his first 10 KBO starts.

Stacks to Consider

Heroes vs. Joo Hong Park: Ha Seong Kim ($6,200), Addison Russell ($5,700), Byung Ho Park ($4,500)

It's not clear whether Joo Hong Park will be a true starter or if this will be a bullpen game for the Eagles, but either outcome should be quite good for the Heroes' hitters. All three of Park's appearances this season have come in relief, and all three came back in late May. Over the course of his three-year KBO career, the 20-year-old owns an awful 8.15 ERA and a 1.94 WHIP. He's spent most of the season as a starter in the Futures League, though his 4.59 ERA at that level hardly suggests he'll have much success against one of the strongest lineups in the KBO.

Yesterday's column featured a lefty-led Heroes stack against a shaky Eagles right-hander. This one will feature a trio of righties against the left-handed Park. Kim makes for an excellent place to start any stack. He's done a bit of everything this season, hitting .288 with 18 homers and 13 steals, good for eighth and a share of fifth in the last two categories, respectively. He's predominantly played third base since the arrival of Addison Russell, though he's eligible at both middle-infield spots on DraftKings and is a deservedly expansion option at either position.

Russell was everything the Heroes could have asked for in his first eight games in Korea, hitting .371/.421/.514. He's since run into a wall, going hitless in three straight contests, but I wouldn't write him off in this one, as the matchup should give him an excellent opportunity to get hot again. Three-game slumps are typically not particularly noteworthy, his just looks worse because he's only played 11 total KBO games. For a player who held his own over five MLB seasons, a pitcher who's struggled to get Futures League hitters out shouldn't represent much of a challenge.

While Jung Hoo Lee has hit .371 against southpaws this season and is certainly playable despite the platoon disadvantage, I've elected to highlight the considerably cheaper Byung Ho Park here instead. Park perhaps makes for a better play in tournaments than in cash games, as he's quite liable to go hitless with several strikeouts on any given day. Among all qualified hitters, Park's .232 batting average is third-lowest, while his 101 whiffs are the worst mark in the league. Despite all that, the veteran still does a ton of damage when he does make contact, as his 20 homers are good for third in the league, with three of those coming in his last six games.

Lions vs. Young Ha Lee: Ja Wook Koo ($4,700), Min Ho Kang ($3,700), Hae Min Park ($2,400)

The Lions are banged up and haven't been playing well or quite some time, but a matchup against Lee in the league's most hitter-friendly park should help get their offense going. Lee has been quite poor this season, recording a 5.24 ERA and a 1.76 WHIP. Those numbers seem well-deserved, as both his 13.5 percent strikeout rate and his 10.9 percent walk rate are quite poor. He's allowed four or more runs in eight of his last 10 starts, and while he threw six shutout innings against the Giants his last time out, he wasn't exactly convincing, walking four batters while striking out just one.

Koo has gone hitless in three of his last five games, though that followed a 20-game stretch in which he hit an excellent .395. The outfielder does everything except hit for power, as he's hit just a modest seven homers this season but owns a .332 batting average and 11 steals. He'll bat third and get the platoon advantage against Lee, which should give him a great opportunity to break free from his brief slump.

Kang certainly hasn't been slumping lately, as he's been one of the best hitters in the league over an extended period. He started the year quite poorly, hitting just .200/.244/.412 over his first 33 games. After a brief trip to the injured list with a side injury, he's been a completely different player, hitting .384/.455/.687 over 31 games. While the 34-year-old catcher likely won't sustain that blistering pace the rest of the season, he does have some very impressive seasons on his resume, posting a quadruple-digit OPS back in 2015 and an OPS north of .800 in seven different years.

Park certainly isn't a star hitter, but he's quite cheap for a player who's locked into a leadoff role, even for a mediocre offense like the one the Lions have had for most of the season. He's been a solid contact hitter throughout the year, posting a .302/.342/.433 slash line, a significant improvement on his .239/.312/.328 line from 2019. He's also stolen 14 bases, good for a share of third place.