This article is part of our DraftKings KBO series.
We have a five-game KBO slate Thursday that appears to offer us a sharp distinction between solid, viable starters and significantly suspect arms. That opens up a multitude of possibilities for us in terms of one-off bats, as well as some opportunities to exploit those questionable pitchers en masse.
As customary, I'll highlight what I consider to be two of the safer pitching options at different price points, followed by some one-off hitters across the salary scale that could also prove profitable for cash games and/or tournaments. I'll then recommend two stacks that I trust the most to potentially string some above-average offensive numbers together and pay off for you in tournaments.
Pitchers
David Buchanan ($10,000) has been mostly masterful in his second KBO season, posting a 2.17 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and minuscule 0.4 HR/9. The former MLB right-hander also boasts a 4-1 record and is averaging 21.2 DK points per outing and sports a 1.66 ERA and .221 BAA across the 38 innings covering his six home starts. Thursday, he faces a Heroes squad he had some trouble with in his one prior 2021 encounter with, but one that's just middle of the pack with 9.2 hits per game and that's tied for third-fewest home runs (26) in the league thus far. Buchanan has already eclipsed 20 DK points on three occasions this season, making him viable despite the five-figure salary.
Min Woo Kim ($8,100) sports a 4.29 ERA that's a bit higher than ideal, but he's also pitched to an excellent .217 BAA and is coming off a six-inning blanking of the Heroes and has tallies of 28.5 and 31.3 DK points on his ledger this season, excellent upside for his salary. Kim has easily been at his most effective at home, where he owns a 1.64 ERA, .211 BAA and 2-0 record across 11 innings, leading to an average of 19.9 DK points. The visiting Giants went down on strikes eight times over five innings the first time they saw Kim this season and own the league's worst record at 14-23, although they have good team hitting metrics overall. Kim isn't without risk, but the combination of the savings he offers and ceiling he's demonstrated make him an appealing target for tournaments in particular.
Top Targets
Jose Fernandez ($5,400) is averaging 10.8 DK points and boasting a .973 OPS, just the latest successful stretch in a season where the slugger is carrying a .336/.401/.497 line with 11 XBH and 21 RBI. Fernandez has actually been a more effective road hitter as well, averaging 10.1 DK points in 17 away games, and he's punished Wiz pitchers for a .375 average and 8.5 DK points in four games thus far. KT starter Young Pyo Ko has a serviceable 3-2 mark and 4.40 ERA, but he's allowed a collective .276 batting average and sports a 6.75 ERA across the 12 innings covering his last two starts.
Ju Suk Ha ($5,000) has a .314 average and .813 OPS over his last 10 games, and he's eviscerated Giants pitching for a .478/.520/.783 slash and average of 17.8 DK points across five games this season. Ha has three double-digit DK-point tallies in his last seven contests alone, and his impressive .318 average with men in scoring position has helped lead to 23 RBI across 36 games. Ha also gets a highly favorable opposite-handed matchup against Enderson Franco, who carries a 5.91 ERA, 1.53 WHIP, 4.8 BB/9 and 1.1 HR/9 into Thursday's matchup, and who surrendered a .294 average, 6.06 ERA and 13 homers to left-handed hitters during his final season in affiliated ball stateside back in 2019.
Jung Dae Bae ($4,500) is averaging 9.3 DK points per home game and has already racked up a .476 average, 1.024 OPS and average of 9.6 DK points across five games against Bears pitching this season. Bae put together a four-game streak of double-digit DK-point tallies earlier in May in a demonstration of the formidable ceiling he offers at his salary, and he even brings along some stolen-base upside with five swipes in eight attempts. Opposing starter Been Gwak makes for a good target as well, as he's allowed a .291 average and pitched to a 1.93 WHIP overall, including a .333 average and 2.07 WHIP in two road starts.
ALSO CONSIDER: Baek Ho Kang ($5,400); Eui Ji Yang ($5,200)
Bargain Bats
Woo Jun Shim ($3,700) carries a very reasonable salary for a player that has a .387 average and .923 OPS over his last 10 games, and that's slashing .315/.364/.444 with nine XBH and 18 RBI for the season. Sim doesn't offer much in the way of the long ball but does have five stolen bases and a .323 average with runners in scoring position, and he's a very reliable contact hitter overall. He also draws the same favorable matchup against Been Gwak that was just detailed in Bae's entry.
Seung Yeup Na ($2,200) is almost a free square at his salary, and he's seen regular playing time since making his professional debut May 12. The 19-year-old already boasts a .667 average with runners in scoring position over the small sample, and despite the matchup against one of my pitcher recommendations in Kim, his salary is such that there's no real risk in leveraging the savings in tournaments and loading up elsewhere.
Stacks to Consider
Wiz vs. Been Gwak: Woo Jun Shim ($3,700); Jung Dae Bae ($4,500); Baek Ho Kang ($5,200); Zoilo Almonte ($3,600)
As mentioned in Shim's and Bae's entries, Gwak has already had his fair share of troubles this season, especially on the road. KT has also been one of the KBO's most impressive offensive teams, averaging the second-most runs (5.8) and hits (9.97) per game while also boasting the highest team batting average (.291).
The cases for Shim and Bae were already detailed earlier, while Kang makes for an outstanding way to spend up in this stack. The fourth-year slugger is putting together elite numbers, entering Thursday's matchup with a .417 average and 1.069 OPS, along with a whopping 42 RBI thanks to a near-.500 average with runners in scoring position. He's also hitting .456 and averaging 11.8 DK points per game at home, and he's throttled Doosan pitching for a .471 average in five games.
Almonte is carrying a very reasonable salary considering his .284 average and .342 on-base percentage, as well as his .316 average versus Bears pitching in five games this season. Almonte is hitting .296 and owns an .805 OPS across with three homers across 21 home games as well, and his switch-hitting capabilities allows him to potentially maximize the matchup against Gwak.
Eagles vs. Enderson Franco: Ju Suk Ha ($5,000); Si Hwan Roh ($5,500); Ryon Healy ($4,300); Woon Ho Jang ($3,500)
As already elaborated on in Ha's entry, Franco has endured a rough landing in his first KBO season and has been sub-standard in almost every metric. He'll also face an Eagles team that may have a bit of momentum on its side after racking up 12 runs Wednesday
Ha's case was already made earlier, while Roh checks in with an average of 9.4 DK points for the season, including 9.7 at home. The 20-year-old is enjoying a career season with a .290/.356/.504 slash line, and his seven home runs and jaw-dropping .500 average with runners in scoring position over 34 games has helped led to his elevated figure of 38 RBI.
Healy is still figuring out the ins and outs of KBO pitching, but he's progressively gotten better after a slow start to the season and checks in with a .289 average and .770 OPS over his last 10 games. Those numbers are partly comprised of a 25 DK-point haul Wednesday that included a home run and four RBI, his third double-digit DK tally in the last 10.
Finally, Jang represents a very cost-effective way to wrap up the stack, and he comes in with a four-game hitting streak and pair of 11 DK-point tallies in his last eight contests. He also went into Wednesday's action sporting a .333 average with runners in scoring position and a .298 average in 14 home games.
