DFS KBO: Tuesday Cheat Sheet

Sunday's KBO slate featured a number of top pitchers and saw a fair number of low-scoring games as a result, with four teams scoring two runs or fewer. Casey Kelly had perhaps the best pitching performance of the day, striking out 11 Eagles while allowing just a single run in 6.1 innings. Jake Brigham impressed as well, striking out seven in five scoreless innings against the Wyverns. Elsewhere, Dan Straily and David Buchanan had quite the pitchers' duel, with Straily allowing one run on four hits in six innings while striking out six as Buchanan allowed a pair of runs on six hits while striking out seven over eight frames. Quality offensive performances weren't impossible to find, though, as Mel Rojas Jr., Jin Sung Kang, Ja Wook Koo, Jose Fernandez and Jung Hoo Lee all grabbed multiple hits and a homer, while Jae Il Oh didn't homer but did drive in an impressive five runs. Tuesday's slate features a fair number of top-tier arms as well, highlighted by a duel between the Heroes' Eric Jokisch and the Bears' Raul Alcantara.

Pitchers

Eric Jokisch ($9,800 DraftKings, $20 FanDuel as "Kiwoom Starting P") is an inexplicable bargain on FanDuel, though he's talented enough to be worth considering at his lofty DraftKings price even against the loaded Bears lineup. He was seemingly a risk his last time out against the Dinos, but he held the league's best offense to just three runs over seven innings. The lefty remains quite playable against the KBO's second-best lineup, especially considering that so many of the Bears top bats will get the platoon disadvantage against him. Jokisch has dominated in every way except strikeout rate this season, as he owns a 1.62 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP despite striking out a roughly average 17.5 percent of opposing batters.

On the opposite side of that same contest, Raul Alcantara ($10,000 DraftKings, $25 FanDuel as "Doosan Starting P") looks like a strong option even against the fourth-ranked Heroes lineup, especially on FanDuel, where, like Jokisch, he's also confusingly cheap. While his 3.13 ERA can't compete with Jokisch's remarkable number, he's edged him out with a 1.12 WHIP, he's much more of a strikeout arm, whiffing 22.1 percent of opposing batters to go with an excellent 3.5 percent walk rate. Those season-long numbers actually understate his recent dominance, as he owns a 1.78 ERA, a 0.76 WHIP and a 33:1 K:BB across his last five starts.

Drew Gagnon ($8,900 DraftKings, $26 FanDuel as "Kia Starting P") could be an even better option than that excellent pair, in large part due to the fact that he gets to face the league-worst Eagles lineup. Gagnon is of course perfectly interesting in his own right, as he's possibly deserved better than his solid 3.88 ERA, a number which looks to be inflated due to a low 64.6 percent strand rate. His 24.1 percent strikeout rate ranks third among qualified starters, and he's combined that number with a 7.9 percent walk rate. The righty owned a mediocre 16:11 K:BB and a 4.64 ERA over a four-start stretch heading into his most recent outing against the Lions, but he seems to be back on track after striking out nine while allowing just two runs in 5.2 innings in that contest.

For a cheaper option on DraftKings, consider Gagnon's opponent, Bum Soo Kim ($5,700 DraftKings, $25 FanDuel as "Hanwha Starting P"). As with all Eagles, this isn't a recommendation backed by a large amount of confidence, but there's enough about him to justify the risk at his very cheap price. His 3.66 ERA almost certainly overstates his talent, as it's over two runs better than his previous career best and has come with a .272 BABIP and a 79.9 percent strand rate. His 21.7 percent strikeout rate does give him a fair amount of upside (despite an awful 14.0 percent walk rate), especially against a Tigers side which ranks just seventh in scoring and is led by a pair of lefties (Preston Tucker and Hyung Woo Choi) against whom he'll get the platoon advantage.

Top Targets

I'm trying to avoid recommending the deservedly expensive Mel Rojas Jr. in nearly every cheat sheet (though he's undoubtedly a strong play here), so I'll recommend his cheaper teammate Baek Ho Kang ($5,400 DraftKings, $14 FanDuel) instead. Kang has been in a slump lately, hitting just .143/.194/.179 over his last seven games, but that small sample should matter less than his excellent .303/.385/.559 overall slash line this season. He's been limited to just 49 games this year due to a wrist injury, but he's already homered 12 times, one shy of his total of 13 in 116 games last year. He'll get the platoon advantage Tuesday against Twins righty Tyler Wilson, who owns a rather mediocre 4.35 ERA and 1.39 WHIP through 12 starts.

Jin Sung Kang ($4,300 DraftKings, $12 FanDuel) tore out of the gate this season, coming out of nowhere to post a .426/.477/.765 slash line over his first 36 games. He crashed hard over his next 17 contests, hitting a miserable .177/.185/.226 to send him tumbling back down to the bottom third of the Dinos' loaded lineup while also lowering his price on both sites. That price remains low Tuesday, but he appears to be climbing out of his slump, hitting .556 with a homer and five runs scored in his last five contests. He's moved back up to the sixth spot in the order, and while it would be nice to see him climb even higher, he should still justify his relatively modest price with the platoon advantage against Lions lefty Jung Hyun Baek, who owns a 4.86 ERA this season while allowing 10 homers, one shy of the worst mark in the league.

Bargain Bats

Dong Min Han ($4,100 DraftKings, $8 FanDuel) is a mid-price option on DraftKings but comes surprisingly cheap for a player of his talents on FanDuel. A shin bruise has limited him to just 24 games this year, but he's already homered seven times while hitting .266/.341/.570. He had something of a down season last year, hitting just 12 homers, but he hit as many as 41 as recently as 2018 before the ball was de-juiced. He's gone just 2-or-19 at the plate in his seven games since returning to the lineup, but Tuesday's game seems like a great time for him to get back on track, as he'll get the platoon advantage against Giants righty Adrian Sampson, who owns a 6.50 ERA and a 1.77 WHIP through his first nine KBO starts.

While Bum Soo Kim was mentioned above as a cheap pitcher with upside, his downside is quite noticeable as well. Chang Jin Lee ($3,400 DraftKings, $5 FanDuel) will get the platoon advantage against him and looks like a strong play, especially on FanDuel, where he comes in at the minimum price. That's likely due to the fact that a back injury prevented him from making his season debut until July 7, but he's looked quite good in the 11 games he's played thus far. He led off in all 11 contests, grabbing a hit in all but one while hitting .364/.440/.477 overall. He's not an elite bat, hitting a solid but unspectacular .270/.363/.383 in his lone full season last year, but it's hard to find a better option at his price on FanDuel.

Stacks To Consider

Twins vs. Je Seong Bae: Hyun Soo Kim ($4,700 DraftKings, $16 FanDuel), Ji Hwan Oh ($3,900 DraftKings, $10 FanDuel), Hyung Jong Lee ($3,600 DraftKings, $5 FanDuel)

Bae owns a solid 3.60 ERA this season, but he's still far from an intimidating arm. It's taken a .281 BABIP and a 79.8 percent strand rate to get him to that number, and the rest of his statline is rather unimpressive. Both his 15.1 percent strikeout rate and his 10.6 percent walk rate are considerably worse than league average, and both represent steps backward from last season, when he recorded a better but still poor 16.1 percent strikeout rate and 9.9 percent walk rate. There's seemingly little reason to treat him as anything other than a mediocre back-end starter despite his decent ERA.

While Roberto Ramos won't be listed here due to the uncertainty surrounding the hip injury that kept him out of Sunday's game against the Eagles, Kim is more than capable of leading a stack himself. He's having an excellent season overall, hitting .335/.389/.562 with 12 homers, already one more than the 11 he managed last season. Seven of those homers have come in his last 14 games, a stretch in which he's hitting .364/.444/.818 while driving in an incredible 23 runs. Even if Ramos can't play Tuesday, Kim should get plenty more RBI opportunities against Bae.

Oh has occupied the second spot in the Twins' order for five straight games. His season-long .274/.325/.452 slash line is by no means an elite mark, but it's enough to justify his mid-tier price on both sites, especially on DraftKings thanks to his eligibility at a shallow shortstop position. His 10 steals tie him for fifth in the league, while his seven homers are good for third among all shortstops. Three of those homers have come in the last seven games, a stretch in which he's hitting .345 with a 1.125 OPS.

Unlike Kim and Oh, Lee won't get the platoon advantage, but he's worth a look nonetheless, especially on FanDuel, where he still costs the minimum. Lee didn't make his season debut until July 10 due to a fractured hand, but he's hit a strong .258/.343/.516 with a pair of homers in eight games since his return while batting either third or fifth in all eight contests. He's not an elite bat but is a perfectly serviceable one, as he hit .286/.358/.442 with 13 homers and 63 RBI in 120 games last season.

Lions vs. Sung Young Choi: Ja Wook Koo ($4,500 DraftKings, $11 FanDuel), Sang Su Kim ($4,500 DraftKings, $10 FanDuel), Dong Yeop Kim ($3,300 DraftKings, $8 FanDuel)

The Dinos have some of the league's most intimidating starters at the top of their rotation in Chang Mo Koo and Drew Rucinski, but the back of that group is quite unimposing. Choi has made six starts and one relief appearance this season, struggling to a 4.93 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP. Those unimpressive numbers seemingly overrate his performance thus far this season, as it's taken a .261 BABIP and a 76.9 percent strand rate to keep his ERA somewhat respectable. He's walked more batters (10.6 percent) than he's struck out (just 9.9 percent) while allowing 1.8 HR/9. Even the Lions' mediocre lineup, which ranks a modest sixth in scoring, shouldn't have too much trouble here.

Ideally, the right-handed Tyler Saladino would lead this stack, but he's on the injured list due to back pain. Though he hits left-handed, Koo is nevertheless a strong option to start things off given both Choi's struggles and his own talent. Koo has been on fire of late, producing eight multi-hit games in his last 10 contests, a stretch in which he's hitting .488/.512/.610. On the season as a whole, he leads the Lions with a .970 OPS while adding seven homers and eight steals.

Sang Su Kim, who will get the platoon advantage against Choi, is a prototypical leadoff man. He's homered just once all season, but he's set the table brilliantly, walking 13.4 percent of the time en route to a .431 on-base percentage. He's also added seven steals. The 30-year-old has displayed a similar skillset throughout his 12-year career, never hitting more than 10 homers while stealing as many as 53 bases at his peak back in 2014. This level of elite on-base ability is new for him, however, as he's never produced a double-digit walk rate or finished with an on-base percentage above .362. He's shown no signs of slowing down, though, as he's hit .421/.515/.561 thus far in July.

The Lions could certainly use one more reliable hitter atop their lineup, but Dong Yeop Kim, who has been hitting third against lefties, is a capable enough option for now. He was demoted for two weeks in mid-June after hitting .245/.282/.418 in his first 30 games. Since his return, he's hit .284/.324/.403, showcasing better contact but worse power. Contract issues and a lack of walks have plagued Kim throughout his career, but he hit 27 homers as recently as 2018. He's not generally a particularly appealing option, but Choi's struggles this season, particularly in the home run department, make him worth a look as long as he ends up in a prime lineup position.