DFS KBO: Tuesday Cheat Sheet

KBO daily fantasy is back on DraftKings ahead of Tuesday's slate after being mysteriously absent for Sunday's games. A constant stream of rainouts has been something of a frustration for DFS players who are unable to set their lineups at the last minute, as we had just a single five-game slate last week and just five total full slates over the past three weeks. Thankfully, the rain seems to have finally cleared in Korea, as all five of Tuesday's games look to be safe as of writing. Somewhat surprisingly, given all the rainouts and Monday's off day, the selection of pitchers on this slate looks quite weak overall, offering plenty of prime stack targets but no truly reliable arms.

Pitchers

With a scarcity of available pitchers who have been good this season, it could be wise to turn to one who was dominant last year. Hyun Jong Yang ($8,900) hasn't come close to repeating the 2.29 ERA and 1.07 WHIP that earned him third place in MVP voting last season, but that talent is presumably still in there, as he should hardly be expected to completely fall off a cliff at age 32. That's more or less what he's done, though, as he owns a 5.92 ERA and a 1.52 WHIP. He's been far too prone to blowups this season, allowing four or more earned runs on four occasions. Still, now that he's no longer priced like a true top-tier option, he's at least a playable candidate among a group of rather uninspiring alternatives, especially as he's struck out a strong 18 batters over 16.2 innings across his last three starts. He'll face a surging Twins team, though their surge looks considerably less impressive when considering how many of their recent wins have come against the Wyverns and Eagles.

Given the group of unappealing options, selecting a pitcher who faces the Eagles certainly doesn't seem to be a bad idea. That's not the only reason to be interested in Won Tae Choi ($8,400), who recorded ERAs of 3.95 and 3.38 over the past two seasons. He appeared to be heading in a similar direction through his first 10 starts this season, posting a 3.68 ERA, but he endured an awful July, posting an 11.25 ERA, a 2.19 WHIP and a 9:9 K:BB over four outings. His first start of August was far better, however, as he allowed just three runs (two earned) against the surging Wiz, giving reason to believe he'll continue his stronger form against the league's worst offense.

Sticking with the theme of targeting weak offenses in the absence of any particularly reliable aces, Hyeong Jun So ($5,900) is an interesting cheap option, almost exclusively because he's facing the Wyverns. The 18-year-old owns a rather unimpressive 5.29 ERA, though his 1.39 WHIP is decent enough. He's shown good control, walking just 6.0 percent of opposing batters, but his 11.7 percent strikeout rate is quite poor and means he doesn't have a ton of upside. Still, he dominated this Wyverns team in his previous start, striking out five in 6.2 scoreless innings while allowing just three hits and no walks, and he'll have a shot at repeating that performance against a lineup which has scored a total of eight runs over its last seven games. 

Top Targets

The Heroes have been surging lately, and it's not just due to the arrival of Addison Russell. Jung Hoo Lee ($5,800) has done his part as well. He's riding a 12-game hitting streak, posting a .468/.527/.596 slash line over that stretch while striking out just twice. He hasn't homered in any of his last 15 games, but he does still have respectable power this season, as his 12 homers have already doubled his career high. The fact that he's added so much pop while also hitting a career-best .369 is a remarkable achievement for the 21-year-old. He'll get the platoon advantage against Eagles righty Warwick Saupold, who owns a 4.96 ERA and a 13.0 percent strikeout rate.

Preston Tucker ($6,300) has been hot and hold this season, but he's been hitting the ball well over his last 25 games, posting a .284/.387/.600 slash line with eight homers. Three of those homers have come in his last five games. He's now tied with Sung Bum Na, Aaron Altherr and Byung Ho Park for third in the league with 19 homers. He'll get the platoon advantage against Twins righty Chan Heon Jung, who was good for most of the season but who's allowed 15 runs (10 earned) over his last two starts.

Bargain Bats

If the Lions had more trustworthy bats, they could be a stack recommendation against Bears lefty Hui Kwan Yu, who owns a 5.31 ERA and a 1.72 WHIP this season. While it may be tough to find enough to form a reliable stack, Min Ho Kang ($3,600) is absolutely worth a look at the catcher position. The veteran owned a poor .200/.244/.412 slash line through his first 33 games when he landed on the injured list in mid-June due to a side injury. Since his return, he's been outstanding, hitting .380/.457/.674 over 29 games, numbers that place him among the strongest hitters at any position, let alone catcher.

Jin Hyuk No ($3,900) is a strong but affordable option at the shortstop position, coming in cheaper than seven other players at the position. The 31-year-old nearly has a career high in all three elements of his .283/.358/.518 slash line, with his batting average trailing his 2017 mark by just three points. He's been on fire lately, hitting .361/.477/.806 with four homers over his last four games. He'll get the platoon advantage against Giants righty Adrian Sampson, who's struggled to a 6.24 ERA and a 1.76 WHIP in his first 10 starts in Korea.

Stacks to Consider

Wiz vs. Ricardo Pinto: Mel Rojas Jr. ($6,700), Baek Ho Kang ($5,700), Yong Ho Jo ($3,600)

While Pinto owned a respectable 4.14 ERA through his first 12 starts this season, his 1.68 WHIP and 40:35 K:BB indicated that things would get worse quickly. That has indeed happened, as he's struggled to an 11.29 ERA and a 2.67 WHIP over his last four outings, striking out just six batters while walking 14. On the season as a whole, he now owns a 5.67 ERA and a 1.89 WHIP, and even those numbers could well be better than he deserves given that he's struck out just 10.9 percent of opposing batters while walking 11.7 percent. Far lesser lineups than the Wiz's loaded group would make for strong plays against him in this one.

Rojas just hasn't slowed down. Somehow, his season-long .392/.456/.770 slash line managed to underrate how well he's been hitting the ball of late. Over his last 12 games, he's hit an absurd .442/.547/1.070 with seven homers, 14 runs and 14 RBI. He's back to leading in all three triple crown categories and has a 193-point lead over Jung Hoo Lee atop the OPS leaderboard. He's worth his lofty price tag against nearly every opponent, especially one who's been as weak as Pinto.

Kang had been in a slump throughout much of July, posting a .448 OPS over an 11-game stretch from July 11 to July 26. He's swung a better bat of late, though, grabbing at least one hit in six of his last seven games while recording three multi-hit games over that stretch. He hasn't homered in a full month, but that could certainly change Tuesday given how Pinto has pitched lately. Kang's 12 homers are already just one shy of his total of 13 from last season, though he has the potential to hit many more than that, as he managed 29 as an 18-year-old rookie back in 2018.

I've listed leadoff man Jo here as the third member of the stack to keep it somewhat affordable, though number two hitter Jae Gyun Hwang ($5,400) deserves consideration from anyone with the extra budget space. Don't expect any homers from Jo, who's yet to hit a single one in his four-year career, but he does enough to be worth a look given his lineup spot and the fact that he'll have the platoon advantage against a pitcher as weak as Pinto has been. Jo has hit .327 this season and has hit .400 over his current eight-game hitting streak.

Giants vs. Hyun Shik Jang: Ah Seop Son ($4,000), Jun Woo Jeon ($4,500), Dixon Machado ($4,300)

Whether this is a true start or more of a bullpen game remains to be seen, but either outcome is likely positive for the Giants. Jang has been exclusively a reliever in his nine appearances for the Dinos this season and in all of his appearances since 2018, though he started 22 games back in 2017 and has also started some in the Futures League this year. He hasn't been anything close to good in his 9.2 innings at the KBO level this year, posting a 9.31 ERA, a 1.86 WHIP and a 4:6 K:BB. His 6.58 ERA in 26.0 Futures League innings hardly suggests he'll give the Giants much trouble, and it's unlikely that the long relievers who follow him will do much better.

The Giants are unfortunately very right-handed, though that shouldn't matter much against a pitcher as weak as Jang. Still, we may as well begin things with the left-handed Son. The number two hitter has been a consistent presence for the Giants throughout the year, hitting .347/.419/.469. He doesn't have a ton of power, hitting just four homers after hitting just 10 last season, but he's made excellent contact throughout his career, posting a batting average of .295 or better in each of the last 10 seasons.

Number three hitter Jeon has swung a hot bat of late, hitting .313/.403/.597 with five homers and 19 RBI over his last 17 games. That's brought his season OPS up to .840, a near match for his .841 mark from 2019. He hit over .300 in each of the previous three seasons, so there's a chance his .289 batting average could rise down the stretch, especially since his .289 BABIP represents his lowest mark since 2009.

Machado is still stuck hitting sixth, but he's hitting the ball well enough lately that he's very much worth a look nonetheless. Over his last 19 games, he's hit .431/.500/.677 while striking out just six times. After homering four times in his first 11 games, he seemed to lose his swing, struggling to a .258/.313/.314 slash line with zero homers in his next 44 contests. He's added back a bit of pop to go with his excellent contact of late, however, homering three times in his last 12 contests.