This article is part of our DraftKings KBO series.
Sunday's KBO slate was a low-scoring one, with only the Dinos and Twins scoring more than five runs. The Dinos capped off quite a week, in which they won five straight games while scoring eight or more in each and outscoring the Eagles 35-6 over their weekend series. The Eagles, meanwhile, have lost 14 straight games, earning them a ranking of 11th out of 10 in my latest KBO Power Rankings. They've since fired their manager and demoted a a whopping 10 players. It will probably be quite some time before an Eagle shows up in this column, other than as a pitcher to stack against. Speaking of pitchers to stack against, narrowing the list down to two today wasn't easy, as Tuesday's slate is full of inexperienced arms.
Pitchers
Hyun Jong Yang's ($10,100 DraftKings, $25 FanDuel as "Kia Starting P") incredibly high DraftKings price fits with his track record but not his current numbers, though he looks like a steal on FanDuel. Yang hasn't pitched like an ace this season, posting an unremarkable 4.22 ERA and a 16.4 percent strikeout rate through six starts. He was the best pitcher in the league not named Josh Lindblom last year, however, as he finished third in MVP voting on the back of a 2.29 ERA, a 1.07 WHIP and a 22.3 percent strikeout rate. At age 32, it's believable that he'd be in decline this season, but a drop of this magnitude probably isn't what we should expect going
Sunday's KBO slate was a low-scoring one, with only the Dinos and Twins scoring more than five runs. The Dinos capped off quite a week, in which they won five straight games while scoring eight or more in each and outscoring the Eagles 35-6 over their weekend series. The Eagles, meanwhile, have lost 14 straight games, earning them a ranking of 11th out of 10 in my latest KBO Power Rankings. They've since fired their manager and demoted a a whopping 10 players. It will probably be quite some time before an Eagle shows up in this column, other than as a pitcher to stack against. Speaking of pitchers to stack against, narrowing the list down to two today wasn't easy, as Tuesday's slate is full of inexperienced arms.
Pitchers
Hyun Jong Yang's ($10,100 DraftKings, $25 FanDuel as "Kia Starting P") incredibly high DraftKings price fits with his track record but not his current numbers, though he looks like a steal on FanDuel. Yang hasn't pitched like an ace this season, posting an unremarkable 4.22 ERA and a 16.4 percent strikeout rate through six starts. He was the best pitcher in the league not named Josh Lindblom last year, however, as he finished third in MVP voting on the back of a 2.29 ERA, a 1.07 WHIP and a 22.3 percent strikeout rate. At age 32, it's believable that he'd be in decline this season, but a drop of this magnitude probably isn't what we should expect going forward. A date with the third-ranked Wiz lineup isn't the easiest of tasks, but he's worth consideration nonetheless due to his track record and the scarcity of trustworthy alternatives.
Casey Kelly ($8,800 DraftKings, $24 FanDuel as "LG Starting P") likewise has unimpressive numbers this season but a strong resume. The former MLB player and 2008 first-round draft pick cruised to a 2.55 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP in his first KBO campaign last year, but he's struggled out of the gate this season, posting a 6.12 ERA and a 1.52 WHIP through five starts. He's alternated between poor and excellent starts this season, throwing six shutout innings twice while allowing four or more runs three times, including getting blown up for eight runs by the Lions his last time out. A .359 BABIP and a 55.9 percent strand rate look like the primary reasons for his struggles, however, as he's increased his strikeout rate from 16.9 percent to 20.5 percent. Even the improved version of the Wyverns, who have won seven of their last 10 games following an awful start, shouldn't be a particularly tough test, giving reason to believe we'll see the good Kelly in this one.
Tae In Won ($7,100 DraftKings, $26 FanDuel as "SAM Starting P") looks to be the best of the budget options on DraftKings. His 4.84 ERA and 1.41 WHIP last season were rather unremarkable, but the fact that he held his own as a 19-year-old rookie was commendable. He's probably not as good as his 2.45 ERA and 1.12 WHIP this season suggest, but those numbers make him worth a look. He's increased his strikeout rate from 13.8 percent to 15.8 percent while trimming his walk rate from 7.9 percent to 6.0 percent. I can't say I have a ton of confidence in him in this one, as he's facing a hot Heroes team in the league's most hitter-friendly park, but he's more interesting than the rest of the cheap options on Tuesday's slate.
Top Targets
Preston Tucker ($6,200 DraftKings, $17 FanDuel) is worth a look Tuesday, as he typically is with a righty on the mound for the opposition. He'll face the Wiz's Hyeong Jun So, an 18-year-old rookie who's struck out just 8.0 percent of opposing batters en route to a 5.34 ERA this season. Tucker has cooled off a bit since his blistering start, but it's not as if he's anywhere near cold, as he hit .304 with a pair of homers last week. He leads the league with 31 RBI and is tied for fourth with eight homers.
While Tae In Won earned a mention as a pitcher worth considering above, that was as much due to the lack of alternatives as anything else, as he's hardly an intimidating arm. If you're not including him, the Heroes' best bats are worth a look, especially Jung Hoo Lee ($5,200 DraftKings, $14 FanDuel). The 21-year-old's five homers are already one shy of his career high of six, and he hasn't sacrificed any contact to get there, as he's hitting a career-best .356 while striking out just 7.5 percent of the time. He could take advantage of hitter-friendly Daegu Samsung Lions Park in this series.
Bargain Bats
Dinos starter Sung Young Choi is far from intimidating, as he's struck out just two batters in seven innings this season and recorded a poor combination of a 16.9 percent strikeout rate and a 13.3 percent walk rate as a swingman last year. The fact that he throws left-handed is enough to keep me off of the Bears' excellent but expensive lefties in a day that's full of exploitable pitchers, but right-handed leadoff man Kun Woo Park ($3,500 DraftKings, $10 FanDuel) looks like a nice cheap way to get a piece of the strong Bears' lineup. He lost the role after some weak early performances, hitting .190/.286/.304 over his first 22 games, but he's since regained it and is hitting .367/.387/.467 over his last seven contests.
Tyler Saladino ($4,200 DraftKings, $8 FanDuel) is a mid-priced option on DraftKings but is quite a bargain on FanDuel. After hitting an awful .128/.209/.231 through his first 14 games in Korea, he's settled down and played like one of the best hitters in the league over his last 13, hitting .415/.537/.732 with three homers and 13 RBI. He'll likely bat third in the league's most hitter-friendly park Tuesday, and while he won't get the platoon advantage against Heroes righty Young Gun Jo, the matchup is nevertheless an interesting one, as Jo is a 21-year-old with just 6.1 KBO innings under his belt. He owns a 7.11 ERA, a 2.05 WHIP and a 3:6 K:BB in those innings.
Stacks to Consider
Dinos vs. Je Yeong Jo: Sung Bum Na ($5,500 DraftKings, $17 FanDuel), Jin Sung Kang ($3,600 DraftKings, $12 FanDuel), Jin Hyuk No ($3,600 DraftKings, $9 FanDuel)
I'm tempted to turn this section into a "Stacks that aren't the Dinos" section, as they feature here for the fourth slate in a row. They're as obvious a stack as ever Tuesday, though, as they've scored a run per game more than anyone else in the league this season and have scored a ludicrous 10.4 runs per game over their last seven contests. They could surpass that mark in this one against the 19-year-old Jo, who's been handed a rather unfair task for his KBO debut. His numbers in 15 Futures League innings this season give very little reason for optimism, as he's struggled to a 5.40 ERA and a 10:10 K:BB.
As usual, Na leads the way for this Dinos stack. The left-handed slugger has recorded at least one hit in 13 of his last 14 games, posting a .436/.508/.909 slash line with six homers and 18 RBI over that stretch. As the hottest player in the league's hottest lineup, he's worth every penny of his justifiably expensive price. He'll be deservedly highly-owned, but the matchup is so good that you won't want to miss out.
Kang has been nearly as hot as Na, and while he won't occupy a prime lineup position (typically batting sixth unless one of his teammates gets a day off) or get the platoon advantage, he's also considerably cheaper. His price is far out of line with his ridiculous .468/.513/.835 slash line, though it's a reflection of the fact that he'd accomplished essentially nothing prior to this year. He hasn't shown any signs of slowing down this season, hitting .526 with a 1.591 OPS and a pair of homers over the Dinos' latest five-game win streak.
Just above every single Dino is worth a look against Jo, but I'll highlight No for the third spot here. His cheap price and shortstop eligibility make up for the fact that he typically bats sixth or seventh. The 30-year-old had never recorded an OPS north of .782 in the past, but he's reaching a new level this season, hitting .319/.396/.532 with five homers. He's been particularly dominant over his last 10 contests, hitting a remarkable .448/.515/.862.
Twins vs. Geon Wook Lee: Roberto Ramos ($4,700 DraftKings, $17 FanDuel), Hyun Soo Kim ($5,600 DraftKings, $14 FanDuel), Chun Woong Lee ($3,800 DraftKings, $10 FanDuel)
Lee has made a pair of relief appearances and a pair of starts this season. He keeps getting paired against the league's top teams, holding the Bears to one run over 5.1 innings before getting knocked around for five runs in three innings by the Dinos. Getting lit up by the Dinos doesn't exactly separate him from the pack this season, and his overall 4.63 ERA on the season isn't awful, but the main reason he's worth stacking against is that he's a 25-year-old with just 13.2 innings of KBO experience in his career. With many of the KBO's top arms establishing themselves as early as their late teens, the fact that Lee is yet to do so at his age speaks to his lack of potential.
Ramos is finally approaching a reasonable price on DraftKings, though there are still seven first basemen who cost more than he does. It's arguable whether any player at any position should be more expensive than he is, as he's probably the early MVP favorite thanks to his 27 RBI, 1.215 OPS and league-leading 12 homers. He's recorded three multi-hit games in his last four contests and will get the platoon advantage against a shaky righty while occupying the cleanup spot.
Number two hitter Kim has only homered twice this season, but that's just about the only thing you can complain about in a season in which he's hitting .368/.431/.538. He's tied for the league lead with 12 doubles and could see more of those turn into homers in the near future. He and Ramos make an excellent pair, as he sits third in runs scored while Ramos is tied for fourth in RBI.
Leadoff man Lee is a bit expensive on DraftKings given his modest .272/.323/.351 slash line, but his lineup position and platoon advantage make him worth a look in this one. He's not a total zero at the plate by any means, as he recorded a .751 OPS last season and an .841 mark in 2018. He also provides value with his legs, stealing five bases so far this season after swiping 21 bags last year.
