This article is part of our DraftKings KBO series.
Rain threatened multiple games on Friday's KBO slate but only wound up washing away the Tigers-Giants contest. The four games that were able to go forward provided more than their fair share of entertainment, as they were decided by a total of just six runs. The Wiz beat the Eagles by a 6-5 score in 11 innings thanks to Sung Woo Jang's walkoff single, with Hyeong Jun So striking out five in five scoreless frames. The Dinos scored three runs in the final two innings to earn a 5-4 win over the Lions, with Myung Ki Lee and Sung Bum Na each grabbing three hits. Elsewhere, a two-run eighth inning helped the Twins to a 3-1 victory over the Bears after Andrew Suarez allowed just one run over six frames, while two homers from Yoo Seom Han helped the Landers hold off a late charge by the Heroes in their 8-6 win.
Saturday's slate, which begins at 3:58 a.m. ET, will include just four games, as neither half of the Tigers-Giants doubleheader included. Rain thankfully doesn't appear to be a factor as of writing.
Pitchers
Wilmer Font's ($8,600) first start of the year went terribly, as he gave up four runs in two innings against the lowly Eagles. Since then, he's been excellent, and he's only getting better. His last six outings have all been quality starts, while he's allowed a combined two earned runs in 21 innings over his last three trips to the mound, striking out 30 batters while walking just three. Overall, he now owns a 3.12 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP, the latter representing the top mark among pitchers who have thrown at least 50 innings this season. He's backed those numbers up with a strong combination of a 28.6 percent strikeout rate and a 7.1 percent walk rate, placing him in the conversation for the best pitcher in the league this season. His strong stretch is unlikely to be halted by the Heroes, who sit a modest sixth in scoring.
Ariel Miranda's ($9,100) first six starts of the year were something of an adventure, though he generally escaped unharmed, posting a 3.49 ERA despite a 7.0 BB/9 and 1.69 WHIP. Over his last five outings, things have gone much more smoothly, as he owns a 2.70 ERA and 1.27 WHIP while cutting his BB/9 to 3.0. He struck out plenty of batters even during his shaky stretch and leads all qualified starters with a 30.7 percent strikeout rate, giving him high fantasy upside even on days where he gives up a fair number of runs. He should be a strong choice Saturday, as he'll face the eighth-ranked Twins offense at pitcher-friendly Jamsil Baseball Stadium.
Among the day's budget options, Woo Jin An ($6,300) is the most interesting and provides the best reason not to select Font, who will oppose him for the Landers. An hasn't been consistent this season, but that's factored into his price. He started the year with a 6.14 ERA and 1.91 WHIP in his first four starts before cruising to a 3.38 ERA and 1.16 WHIP over his next five. He failed to finish five innings his last time out against the Lions, but the potential for a big point total is far greater here than with most pitchers in his price range given his strong 22.8 percent strikeout rate. Those strikeouts should keep coming for the 21-year-old, who possesses major-league velocity in both his 93.8 mph fastball and 87.6 mph slider.
Top Targets
Jae Il Oh ($5,200) seems to be really enjoying his move from the league's most pitcher-friendly park to its most hitter-friendly, as he joined the Lions in free agency over the winter after spending the last nine seasons with the Bears. The 34-year-old was still a useful player last year, but his home run total dropped to 16, his lowest finish since 2015. An abdominal injury caused him to miss most of April this season, limiting him to 35 games thus far, but he's already homered nine times to go with a .302/.375/.579 slash line. He's been on a tear over his last 10 contests, going hitless just once while homering four times, driving in 14 runs and posting a 1.383 OPS. That's enough to make him a strong choice Saturday at Daegu Samsung Lions Park even against Dinos righty Min Hyeok Shin, who's posted a 3.31 ERA on the season.
Suk Hwan Yang ($4,500) was brought in to take Oh's place as the Bears' first baseman, with the team acquiring him in a trade with the Twins over the winter. He wasn't much more than competent with his former team, topping out at a .758 OPS and 22 homers, but he's seemingly unlocked something after moving to Jamsil Baseball Stadium's other dugout. In 54 games, he's hitting .274/.341/.502 with 12 homers, including four in his last 10 games. He could hit another Saturday with the platoon advantage against Twins lefty Woo Chan Cha, who's made just a single start this season after struggling to a 5.34 ERA last year.
Bargain Bats
Eun Won Jung ($4,000) remains arguably the most interesting hitter on the Eagles thanks to his remarkable eye. Despite hitting just one home run and slugging a modest .389, he's been able to work a walk in 19.2 percent of his plate appearances, the second-best mark among qualified hitters, trailing only Shin Soo Choo. That makes him an excellent table-setter when combined with a solid .283 batting average, though it would of course be nice if he had more talented teammates hitting behind him. That's baked into his cost, however, meaning he'll be an interesting mid-priced option Saturday with the platoon advantage against Odrisamer Despaigne, who's allowed nine runs in 8.2 innings over his last two starts after getting off to an excellent start.
If you're not interested in Woo Jin An as a budget option, consider Yoo Seom Han ($3,000) as an affordable outfielder to use against him. Han showcased his power with a two-homer game Friday, giving him three homers and four hits across his last two games. He's something of a streaky hitter, which comes with his 23.7 percent strikeout rate, but he offers quite a lot of upside for an inexpensive price. His power is nothing new, as he homered 15 times last season despite injuries limiting him to just 62 games, putting him on pace for 34.8 over a full season.
Stacks to Consider
Wiz vs. Si Hwan Jang: Baek Ho Kang ($5,900), Zoilo Almonte ($4,200), Han Joon Yoo ($2,000)
Jang stands out as easily the most exploitable pitcher on Friday's slate. He was at least moderately interesting at times last year despite a 5.02 ERA, as that came with an above-average 19.1 percent strikeout rate, but nothing has gone right for him this season. His strikeout rate has plummeted all the way down to 11.3 percent, well below his 15.8 percent walk rate. That's led to a 2.09 WHIP and a 7.18 ERA, a number which could be even higher given that he's somehow managed to avoid giving up a homer through eight outings. He's coming off his best start of the year, but even that one wasn't a particularly good one, as he allowed three runs in 5.1 innings against the Dinos while striking out three and walking three.
Every Wiz stack begins with Kang, who's making a strong case for MVP thus far this season. A hitless day Friday dropped his batting average back below .400, but there's certainly nothing wrong with his .397/.484/.569 slash line. Almonte follows him out of the cleanup spot and has been much better lately after a slow start to his KBO career. He posted a .702 OPS over his first 41 games but has a .962 OPS over his last 12. Yoo isn't a star but is wildly mispriced as a minimum-price player, something which would be true even if he weren't batting fifth for one of the league's best lineups. The 39-year-old has hit .423/.467/.615 with 11 RBI over his last eight games, dragging his OPS for the season up to .788.
Dinos vs. Tae In Won: Sung Bum Na ($5,700), Min Woo Park ($4,100), Myung Ki Lee ($3,900)
This may be a very surprising suggestion given Won's 2.66 ERA on the season, but prime stack targets are hard to find on the shortened slate. Additionally, Won has been far worse over his last three starts than he was over his first seven. Through those first seven outings, he produced a 1.00 ERA and 1.00 WHIP, but he proceeded to allow 13 runs on 20 hits over his next two. He only allowed a single run his last time out against the Heroes, but his 3:5 K:BB hardly suggested that he'd turned things around. While his season-long numbers remain very strong, his early success was far out of line with what he'd shown in over his first two seasons in the league, when he recorded a combined 4.86 ERA and 13.0 percent strikeout rate. It's possible he snaps back into his early-season form Saturday, but I wouldn't bet on it against the league's best lineup in the league's most hitter-friendly park.
We'll stack a trio of lefties here against the young right-hander. Na is the best of the bunch and one of the best hitters in the entire league, as he owns a .283/.362/.525 slash line even in a down season. He's been trending upwards recently, posting a .996 OPS over his last 10 games. He's joined here by the two batters who typically hit ahead of him in the lineup. Leadoff man Park fills that role well, as he has throughout his nine-year career. He owns a lifetime .403 on-base percentage, so there's reason to believe his .372 mark this season could rise going forward. Lee has outdone him so far this year, reaching base at a .408 clip. He's been particularly hot over his last 11 games, hitting .429/.500/.548.
