This article is part of our DraftKings KBO series.
A large handful rainouts over the weekend means we have a bonus KBO daily fantasy slate Monday. Sunday's DFS contests didn't go forward with just the indoor game between the Eagles and Heroes taking place as scheduled. Eric Jokisch struck out seven in seven scoreless innings in that one as the Heroes won 5-1, with catcher Dong Won Park's two homers accounting for the majority of the scoring. We'll have a four-game slate Monday featuring every team but those Eagles and Heroes. Most of the pitchers will be the same ones who were scheduled to throw Sunday. Unfortunately, rain could be a factor yet again, with the Tigers-Dinos and Wiz-Giants games looking most threatened as of writing, though neither looks anywhere close to a guaranteed postponement.
Note: portions of this article are pulled directly from yesterday's cheat sheet, as the majority of the slate looks exactly like it did for Sunday's games.
Pitchers
Dan Straily ($8,600) somehow comes in $1,200 more expensive than he did on Sunday's slate, but he's still not overpriced. He hasn't been at his best this season, but even with a couple poor outings on his resume, his stats are still better than what most pitchers in the league could hope for. He owns a 3.38 ERA and 1.39 WHIP, numbers he's backed up with a 21.7 percent strikeout rate and 7.5 percent walk rate. That line alone is good enough to justify his price tag, even against a strong Wiz lineup, but if he looks more like the guy who posted a 2.50 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 26.4 percent strikeout rate last year he'll be a real bargain.
Drew Rucinski ($9,300) is the most expensive arm on the slate, but his high price is justified, especially against the last-ranked Tigers lineup. He did allow seven runs against an unimpressive Landers lineup back on May 5, but that outing was sandwiched between a pair of starts in which he threw seven scoreless innings. He's walked a few too many batters this season (11.2 percent, well above his 6.9 percent mark from last season), but his 22.9 percent strikeout rate has helped him to a 3.15 ERA. That should be a very sustainable figure for a pitcher who finished with a 3.05 ERA in each of the last two seasons.
Won Joon Choi ($8,300) comes in $700 more expensive than he did on Sunday's slate but is still one of the night's top options. Heading into his last start, he owned an incredible 1.91 ERA and 0.99 WHIP. Even after allowing five runs against the lowly Tigers, his 2.94 ERA and 1.04 WHIP still stand as excellent marks. Good control (as seen in his 6.2 percent walk rate) helped Choi to a 3.80 ERA last season, and this year he's upped his strikeout rate from 16.5 percent to 18.2 percent while keeping that same strong command. That above-average all-around profile should set him up nicely against the seventh-ranked Landers lineup.
Top Targets
If you want to bet on Choi having a second straight poor start, Jeong Choi ($5,600) looks like the best way to do that. One of the best hitters in KBO history (he ranks second on the league's all-time home run leaderboard), Choi has shown no signs of slowing down in his age-34 season. He sits tied for fourth with nine homers and owns a .998 OPS. The veteran third baseman has been particularly hot lately, hitting four homers in his last five games and posting a .432/.543/.838 slash line over his last 10.
Hoon Jung ($4,500) has served as the Giants' leadoff man seven times in the team's last 11 games and will be a strong option if he occupies that spot again Monday. It would make sense to keep him there, as he's swung a hot bat over that stretch, hitting .341/.438/.561 and scoring 11 runs. He's not a complete zero in the power department, as he's homered four times already this season, but his primary skill is his on-base ability, as a 14.7 percent walk rate has helped him to a .406 on-base percentage. He'll face Wiz righty William Cuevas, who's struggled to a 7.04 ERA and 1.91 WHIP through five starts this season.
Bargain Bats
The Lions need more from hitters other than Jose Pirela, Ja Wook Koo and Min Ho Kang if they're to maintain their surprisingly hot start. Jae Il Oh ($3,600) appears to be stepping up to the plate. He joined as a free agent after being part of the core that led the Bears to six straight Korean Series appearances, but he missed most of April with an abdominal injury. He struggled to a .499 OPS over his first seven games as a Lion but has since turned things around, hitting .313/.421/.594 over his last nine games. He'll get the platoon advantage Monday against Twins righty Casey Kelly, who's allowed 10 runs on 18 hits in 12 innings over his last two starts, striking out just four batters while walking six.
The Dinos don't have an easy matchup Monday, as they'll face Daniel Mengden and his 3.40 ERA, but I'm still interested in Hui Dong Kwon ($2,900). Kwon is primarily interesting because he's far too cheap for a batter who's regularly hitting second for the league's best lineup, but he's also interesting in his own right. He owns a 1.053 OPS over his last seven games, homering twice while striking out just three times. On the season as a whole, his .228/.369/.443 slash line is perfectly solid, and it should improve going forward along with his .213 BABIP.
Stacks to Consider
Twins vs. Seung Min Lee: Hyun Soo Kim ($5,000), Eun Seong Chae ($4,100), Roberto Ramos ($3,400)
Lee debuted as a 19-year-old last year and didn't have much success, finishing the year with a 6.84 ERA and 2.01 WHIP in five starts and two relief appearances, numbers that appeared well-earned given his 16:19 K:BB. His 11:7 K:BB through four starts this year at least represents a step in the right direction, but not a significant enough one. His WHIP has improved but is still poor (1.60), while his 6.91 ERA is a near match for his rookie numbers. Lee was a fourth-round pick last year and has a fastball which averages just 82.8 mph, so it's not as if he's some hot prospect on the verge of a breakout.
Finding Twins worth stacking is surprisingly difficult this year, though the lineup has climbed up to eighth in scoring after a very slow start and is finally showing signs of life. I'd ordinarily stay away from lefties against a southpaw, but Lee has thrown a combined 3.2 innings in his last two starts and the majority of the Twins' best hitters bat left-handed, so I'm comfortable using a few here.
With that in mind, I've gone with the team's two big left-handed bats along with the right-handed Chae. Kim has been excellent as usual this season, with his .989 OPS standing as the third-best mark of his 14-year career. Chae has been following him out of the cleanup spot recently and has been incredibly hot over his last nine games, posting a 1.142 OPS with four homers, 11 runs and 17 RBI. Ramos is deservedly affordable amidst a season-long slump, but he's shown signs of life recently, hitting .313/.333/.500 over his last seven games. His 38 homers last year demonstrate his upside once he gets going.
Bears vs. Won Seok Oh: Kun Woo Park ($4,900), Suk Hwan Yang ($4,800), Kyoung Min Hur ($4,500)
The Landers will alter their pitching plans for this one, going with Oh rather than Su Min Jung, but stacking the Bears still seems like a great idea. The 20-year-old Oh may have more potential than the 31-year-old Jung, as he was a regional-round pick (a round that precedes the rest of the draft in which teams can select a player from their local area) in 2020, but he's yet to make good on that potential thus far. In 25.2 innings this season (four starts and six relief appearances), the young lefty has struggled to a 7.01 ERA and 1.68 WHIP. Those numbers are even worse since he moved to the rotation, as he owns an 8.31 ERA, 1.90 WHIP and 17:13 K:BB in those four outings.
With a lefty on the mound for the Landers, I've gone with the Bears' three best righties here, though Jose Fernandez and Jae Hwan Kim are still worth considering. Park's .922 OPS represents his best mark since 2017, and he's been particularly hot lately, hitting .400 over his last eight games. Yang joined in an offseason trade with the Twins, who share a stadium with the Bears. He's having a career year, as his .277/.333/.454 line is good for a personal-best .787 OPS. Hur is an elite contact hitter, as his 7.7 percent strikeout rate marks the ninth time in his 10-year career that he's been in the single digits in that category. He's hit .500 over his last six games and is hitting .357 on the year.
