DFS KBO: Tuesday Cheat Sheet

Sunday's KBO slate saw quite a number of excellent pitching performances. Ben Lively struck out eight Dinos while allowing just three hits in seven scoreless innings as the Lions won 5-3, with Daniel Palka pitching in with his second KBO homer. Aaron Brooks and Shi Hwan Jang had a pitchers' duel, tossing seven and six one-run innings, respectively, with Brooks striking out 10 batters. Both bullpens would eventually implode, with the Tigers winning 8-4. Elsewhere, Chan Gyu Lim allowed one run in six frames while Adrian Sampson allowed two unearned runs in the same amount of innings, with the Twins getting the job done against the Giants' bullpen to come away with a 7-1 win. In perhaps the most impressive outing of the day, former closer Duk Joo Ham needed just 62 pitches to complete six scoreless innings in his first start since 2017, allowing just a single hit in the Bears' 10-0 win. Tuesday's slate may not feature quite as many strong outings, as the pitcher pool is somewhat thin at the top.

Pitchers

Raul Alcantara ($11,000) has been one of the best pitchers in the league this season and is very much worthy of consideration even at his lofty price and even against a solid Wiz lineup. He recorded a streak of 13 straight quality starts from June 10 through Aug. 20, posting a 2.219 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP while walking a total of just eight batters over that stretch. He stumbled in his final start of August, allowing four runs in six innings against the Tigers, but he bounced right back in his first September start, striking out nine while allowing just two hits in seven scoreless innings.

Chae Heung Choi ($6,900) has been generally unremarkable this season, but unremarkable should be more than good enough against the last-ranked Eagles lineup, making him one of the best of a large group of budget options. He owned a strong 3.42 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP through his first 13 starts before getting blown up for 11 runs on 17 hits by the Bears in mid-August. In his three starts since then, however, he's posting a 2.77 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP. Overall, his 18.1 percent strikeout rate and 8.9 percent walk rate are both quite close to league average, backing up his fine but forgettable 4.27 ERA, which again should be all that's needed against a team that has scored just 3.6 runs per game this season.

Myung Gi Song ($6,400) has been mostly a reliever this season, making just three starts, though he's adjusted to his new role well, posting a 3.14 ERA as a starter after posting a 4.05 ERA in 24 relief appearances. He followed up two good starts with a poor one his last time out against the Heroes, though he'll face an easier task Tuesday against the seventh-ranked Giants lineup. Overall, the 20-year-old righty's 23.0 percent strikeout rate is quite strong, while his 7.2 percent walk rate is also better than league average. You'd expect that strikeout rate to drop as a starter, and it has, but he doesn't have to be all that special to be worth his low price in this one.

Top Targets

Sung Bum Na ($6,600) has taken over as the league's most expensive hitter, and it's hard to argue with that given his performances over the last month. In his last 25 games, he's homered nine times while scoring 26 runs and driving in 30 more and hitting .346/.397/.673. He now sits third in the league with 27 homers and is tied for second with 86 RBI, while his .990 OPS ranks third among qualified hitters. He'll get the platoon advantage against Giants righty Seung Jun Song, who's spent the entire year in relief and owns an unremarkable 4.44 ERA and 1.64 WHIP.

Preston Tucker ($5,400) has been hot and cold this season, but he's firmly in the former category right now. Over his last three games, he's gone 7-for-13 with four doubles, four runs and three RBI. Looking back over his last 12, he's hitting .326/.466/.630. He should have a good chance to stay hot with the platoon advantage against Twins righty Chan Heon Jung, who owns a 6.41 ERA and a 1.95 WHIP over his last five starts.

Bargain Bats

Jae Il Oh ($4,000) is more expensive than the players usually found in this section, though he's quite cheap for a first baseman. He doesn't have elite power for the position, though his 14 homers in 84 games represent a perfectly adequate total. He's been an excellent contact hitter, as shown by his .339 batting average. He's shown both power and average over his last 13 games, however, hitting .333/.421/.625 with four homers. He'll get the platoon advantage against Wiz righty Je Seong Bae, who owns a 7.36 ERA, a 1.87 WHIP and a 16:17 K:BB over his last five starts.

The Lions' lineup had been struggling for an extended period, but they've rebounded to score 28 runs over their last three games. They could be an interesting stack option in their hitter-friendly home park against Eagles lefty Chad Bell, who slipped right back into his previously poor form Thursday against the Heroes after a few poor starts and now owns a 6.13 ERA. Won Seok Lee ($3,200) could be the Lion to grab if you grab just one, as he'll get the platoon advantage against the struggling lefty, unlike many of the team's top bats. The third baseman is riding a six-game hitting streak, hitting .435 with a 1.067 OPS over that stretch.

Stacks to Consider

Heroes vs. Ricardo Pinto: Ha Seong Kim ($5,500), Jung Hoo Lee ($5,500), Keon Chang Seo ($4,400)

Pinto owned a respectable 4.02 ERA through his first 10 starts in Korea, though his 1.66 WHIP and 35:28 K:BB indicated that regression was coming. It has indeed come, and in dramatic fashion, as he owns a 9.16 ERA and a 2.18 WHIP over his last 11 starts. He really hasn't done much of anything right this season, as his 6.37 ERA and 1.90 WHIP both rank last among qualified starters. His 13.0 percent strikeout rate ranks second-worst among that same group, while his 11.4 percent walk rate ranks worst, so it doesn't look as though things will improve any time soon.

While several of the Heroes' top bats have struggled of late, Kim sure hasn't. In his last 17 games, the shortstop is hitting .406/.500/.594 while adding six steals. He's now tied for third in the league with 19 steals, while his .917 OPS on the season is more than 100 points better than any other player who has stolen at least 18 bases. Among players who have swiped at least 10 bags, his OPS trails only Aaron Altherr's .926 mark. He's a uniquely talented all-around player who's very much worth a look against the likes of Pinto, even if he won't get the platoon advantage.

Lee hasn't been at his best lately, but getting the platoon advantage against a pitcher as weak as Pinto should be what he needs to pull out of his slump. It's been a fairly significant one, as he's hit just .167/.244/.333 over his last 10 games, though he could already be showing signs of getting hot again, as he reached base twice Sunday. He's also homered twice during that slump, giving him 15 for the year, already surpassing his total of 14 from his first three seasons combined.

Seo has also been cold recently, but as long as he's leading off with the platoon advantage against a pitcher as weak as Pinto, he'll be set to benefit from what should be multiple Heroes rallies in this one. (If Hye Sung Kim fills that role instead, as he's done on occasion recently, this spot should go to him instead.) Seo is somehow managing to hit just .217 over his last 17 games despite striking out just once, so there's good reason to believe that will improve sometime soon. Even after that cold stretch, his season-long .273/.384/.391 slash line is still quite solid, especially when paired with his 20 steals.

Twins vs. Seung Cheol Yang: Roberto Ramos ($4,800), Hyun Jong Lee ($3,900), Yong Taik Park ($2,300)

While all four of Yang's appearances this season have come in relief, this doesn't necessarily appear to be a bullpen game for the Tigers, as he threw 75 pitches out of the pen as recently as Aug. 30. The 28-year-old righty's 2.79 ERA in a small sample of 9.2 innings this season is strong, but that's just about where the positives end. He's striking out a decent 17.5 percent of opposing batters but has walked an unacceptable 20.0 percent. He'd also walked more batters than he struck out in his 16.1-inning debut last season. 

Ramos' recent surge has helped his team charge up the standings, and he's more than capable of leading this stack on his own while Hyun Soo Kim is day-to-day with a shoulder issue. After hitting just .226/.321/.366 with a mere three homers in his first 25 games back from a trip to the injured list for ankle and back issues, he suddenly turned things around in late July. Over his last 38 games, he's homered 15 times while hitting .262/.335/.621. He's now homered 31 times on the season, trailing only Mel Rojas Jr.

Lee missed just over two months at the start of the season with a broken hand, but he's been a very effective player since returning to action. In 42 games, he's hitting .311/.399/.570 and already has nine homers, just four shy of his total of 13 in 120 games last season. He's been even better over his last eight contests, hitting .308/.419/.615. While he won't get the platoon advantage against Yang, that's more than made up for by the fact that he's slotted in right in front of Ramos out of the number three spot in Kim's absence.

Park hit fifth Monday against the Giants, meaning this should be a trio of consecutive hitters at the heart of the Twins' order if their lineup remains the same. The 41-year-old has appeared in just 61 games this season, in part due to the Twins managing the veteran's workload and in part due to a hamstring injury that kept him out for seven weeks. He went just 3-for-19 in his first 15 games back, primarily playing a bench role, but he's now riding a seven game hitting streak, hitting .458/.519/.792 with a pair of homers over that stretch. He doesn't have to be nearly that good to be a strong value at his very low price.