This article is part of our DraftKings KBO series.
Friday's KBO slate was cut down to four games, as the Dinos-Giants game was canceled due to poor field conditions. The teams will play a doubleheader Saturday, but neither game will be part of DraftKings' KBO contests, leaving us with a four-game slate that begins at 4 a.m. ET. The games that did go forward Friday were highlighted by a walkoff thriller between the Wiz and Tigers, with the Tigers coming back from a 6-2 deficit to send the game to extras before Chang Jin Lee's RBI groundout won it in the 10th inning. Jeong Hun Lee led the home team's offense in that one, reaching base five times. Elsewhere, the Bears got 6.1 shutout innings from Won Joon Choi and a pair of homers from Jae Hwan Kim as they defeated the Lions by a 9-4 score, while the Landers dropped 12 runs on the Eagles (including seven off Ryan Carpenter), with Jeong Choi hitting his 12th homer of the year. Meanwhile, Casey Kelly and Eric Jokisch both allowed just a single earned run in their pitchers' duel, with Kelly's Twins going on to win 3-1.
Pitchers
Odrisamer Despaigne ($9,400) could see sky-high ownership rates on a short slate that lacks trustworthy alternatives, but it's going to be hard to avoid joining the crowd. The veteran Cuban righty was most notable in his debut KBO season last year for his ability to eat innings, as he threw nine more than anyone else in the league, but his 4.33 ERA and 1.45 WHIP in those innings wasn't anything special. He's been on another level this season, however, cruising to a 1.66 ERA and 1.12 WHIP, and he's only been getting better as the season progresses. He hasn't allowed a run in his last two starts and hasn't surrendered more than a single earned run in any of his last seven outings. There's little reason to believe his hot streak will end here against the last-ranked Tigers lineup.
It's difficult to know exactly what to expect from Artie Lewicki ($7,600) in his first start back from a side injury, but his cheap price tag makes him a worthy gamble Saturday considering the lack of proven alternatives. There could be workload concerns here give that he's missed over a month, but he did throw five innings in a Futures League rehab start on Sunday, so he should be able to last six frames in his return to KBO action if he pitches well. That can't be guaranteed, either, given his very brief track record in Korea, though he did allow just two runs in six innings in each of his first two starts before suffering the injury in his third. He'll have an easy matchup in his return to action, as he'll face the ninth-ranked Eagles offense.
Hyun Hee Han ($8,300) produced a strong 3.41 ERA in relief in 2019 but struggled to a 4.98 mark upon his return to the rotation last season. That figure came with a strong combination of a 18.4 percent strikeout rate and 6.3 percent walk rate, however, indicating better things could be in store going forward. That's been the case this year, as he's cut his ERA to 3.89, though both his strikeout rate (16.0 percent) and walk rate (10.0 percent) have trended in the wrong direction. It's not the most compelling profile, but his past success keeps him an interesting option on this short slate, especially against the eighth-ranked Twins lineup in pitcher-friendly Jamsil Baseball Stadium.
Top Targets
Jung Hoo Lee ($5,600) didn't seem to be himself in April. While he still walked at 13.6 percent clip, his .269/.373/.344 line was well below expectations. He began May with seven hits in his first three games, however, and he hasn't looked back since, hitting a remarkable .479/.556/.740 in the first 20 games of the month. He now sits sixth in the league with a .973 OPS, an impressive feat considering he's homered just once. He does have 17 doubles, six more than anyone else in the league, and once more of those start clearing the fence he could well be the best hitter in the KBO. He should do plenty of damage Saturday with the platoon advantage against Twins righty Min Ho Lee, who's struggled to a 5.72 ERA in his sophomore season.
If you're not taking a chance on Artie Lewicki in his first start back from a side injury, as suggested above, consider selecting Ryon Healy ($4,100) against him. The former major leaguer started his KBO career very poorly, hitting .257/.301/.352 over his first 27 games. The benefit of the doubt should be given to players with MLB experience, though, and Healy's numbers have indeed turned around recently. He's hit .324/.390/.514 over his last 11 games, driving in nine runs. Given his career 101 wRC+ in 405 games at the MLB level, it seems fair to expect a similar level of performance going forward.
Bargain Bats
Chae Heung Choi looked quite good last year but has struggled significantly in three starts since returning from an abdominal injury, posting an 8.22 ERA. Selecting some Bears righties against the southpaw in the league's most hitter-friendly park looks quite appealing. Kyoung Min Heo ($4,000) is now the best player in that category with Kun Woo Park (abdomen) sidelined. Hur doesn't have much pop, homering just three times this year, but he should get on base at a high clip, while his leadoff role leaves him well-positioned should his teammates take advantage of homer-happy Daegu Samsung Lions Park. The third baseman is hitting .327 on the year, a near match for his .332 mark from last season.
Catcher is thinner than usual Saturday with the Dinos and their star backstop Eui Ji Yang not included on the slate. Sung Woo Jang ($3,400) offers a good affordable option at the position. He's never been close to a star at the plate, but his .278 average and 13 homers last year were perfectly respectable for a catcher. He's hitting just .242 this year but can blame a .245 BABIP for some of his struggles. He's made up for that in other areas, walking more than he's struck out while producing a career-high .161 ISO, a number he inflated with a pair of homers Friday. Jang could go deep again Saturday off Tigers lefty Yu Sin Kim, who's allowed six home runs in 22.2 innings en route to a 7.54 ERA.
Stacks to Consider
Lions vs. Hee Kwan Yu: Jose Pirela ($6,200), Min Ho Kang ($5,000), Won Seok Lee ($3,500)
There's a limit to how slowly you can throw while still being an effective starter, even at the KBO level. Yu has blown past it, as his fastball has averaged less than 80 mph in each of the last two seasons. Last year, he managed a respectable (albeit not close to good) 5.02 ERA despite striking out just 9.0 percent of opposing batters. This year, his strikeout rate has plummeted still further to 6.2 percent, a lower mark than his 7.5 percent walk rate. With that much contact, it's no surprise to see his ERA balloon to 7.31. Yoo was knocked around for eight runs on 12 hits in his most recent start against the Giants, and things could get just as ugly Saturday, as being this hittable in the league's most hitter-friendly park doesn't sound like a formula for success.
Yu is unintimidating enough that there's no reason to feel compelled to avoid lefty-on-lefty matchups against him, but the stack listed here features the Lions' top three righties, partially for budget reasons. Pirela's high price is well-deserved, as he's scored the most points per game among everyday players on Saturday's slate. He's particularly dangerous at home, where he's hit 10 of his 13 homers, a figure that ties him for first in the league. Kang has cooled off following a blistering start but remains one of the best uses of the catcher slot, as his .346 average and 26 RBI both rank second at the position. Lee has struggled to a .694 OPS on the season but owns an .857 OPS over his last 10 games and is coming off a pair of two-hit performances.
Landers vs. Dong Hyun Bae: Jeong Choi ($6,000), Joo Hwan Choi ($4,700), Ji Hoon Choi ($3,700)
Bae owns a 4.94 ERA through three starts and four relief appearances in his rookie season, but that unimpressive mark might flatter him. He's struck out just 8.1 percent of opposing batters (a mark that looks good next to Hui Kwan Yu but nobody else) while walking 12.6 percent. His ERA would likely be considerably worse if not for a .244 BABIP. While Bae is a rookie and could improve as he gets more experience, there's little reason to expect much from him, as he was merely the 42nd-overall pick in the 2021 draft. He's yet to reach five innings in a start and is unlikely to manage that feat Saturday.
We'll bias things towards the Landers' lefties with Bae on the mound, who throws right-handed despite erroneously being listed as a southpaw on DraftKings. Jeong Choi is too good not to include, however. The 34-year-old is among the greatest hitters of all time in KBO and is showing no signs of slowing down, posting a 1.323 OPS with seven homers over his last 17 games. Joo Hwan Choi was among the best hitters in the league through his first 19 games, posting a 1.013 OPS, before being sidelined for nearly a month by a hamstring injury. He made four appearances off the bench before returning to the lineup Friday and driving in three runs. Ji Hoon completes our trio of Chois. The second-year outfielder is most valuable because he bats leadoff, though he's also been very hot lately, hitting .383 over a 10-game hitting streak.
