This article is part of our DraftKings KBO series.
Thursday's five-game slate serves up some multiple recognizable MLB arms, all which have enjoyed various degree of KBO success this season. We have our usual handful of targetable candidates taking the hill as well, however, so there should be some opportunities for several hitters that have already proven successful in the splits that apply to their scenarios.
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
Se Woong Park ($9,600) is averaging a solid 16.3 DK points per contest and also has a 3.31 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and .210 BAA in 21 starts this season. He has had some trouble keeping the ball in the park, but the right-hander has been very good on the road with a 6-3 record, 2.89 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and .205 BAA, leading to an average of 17.2 DK points per road contest. Then, Park has consistently mastered the opposing Wiz, already having pitched to a 0.90 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and .171 BAA across 20 innings over three starts.
Eric Jokisch ($9,200) has been excellent throughout his KBO career, but he's arguably enjoying his best season overseas yet. The southpaw has already tied a KBO career high with 13 wins and also sports a 2.50 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 0.7 HR/9. He's been in peak form at home with a 9-2 mark, 2.16 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and .233 BAA over 13 starts, and he's already stymied the Eagles for 17 scoreless innings across three starts, allowing just a tiny .161 average in the process. Hanwha remains one of the lightest-hitting teams in the league as well, as they average just 4.0 runs per game, a KBO-low 7.6 hits per contest and a league-low .236 team batting average.
ALSO CONSIDER: Walker Lockett ($8,000)
Top Targets
Jose Pirela ($6,000) is averaging 10.2 DK points per contest on the strength of a .301/.369/.526 slash line that's partly constituted of 49 XBH and 86 RBI. Pirela has been stellar at home and against Kia pitching as well, averaging 11.2 and 12.9 DK points in those respective splits. Pirela also comes in wielding a typically hot bat, as he's amassed double-digit DK points in four of his last seven games and owns a .348 average and .994 OPS over his last 16 contests overall.
Sung Bum Na ($5,300) is one of several Dinos bats that catch the eye Thursday, as he checks into Thursday's contest with a .293 average, .904 OPS and average of 9.8 DK points for the season. His best work has been done at home, where he sports a .327 average, 1.000 OPS and average of 10.8 DK points across 50 contests. Na also carries a hot streak over his last 10 games that includes a .341 average, 1.104 OPS and 12.7 DK points per contest, and LG starter Min Ho Lee has pitched to a 7.43 ERA and 1.43 WHIP in six road starts.
Hyun Soo Kim ($4,400) carries a very appealing salary for a player that carries a .290 average and .842 OPS, and that's raked on the road to the tune of a .349/.430/.576 slash line and average of 9.8 DK points per contest. The veteran checks in with four multi-hit efforts in his last seven contests as well, and he gets an appealing opposite-handed matchup against Dinos righty Myung Gi Song, who's yielded a 6.09 ERA, 1.67 WHIP and .300 BAA in 16 starts.
Bargain Bats
Won Jun Choi ($4,100) checks into Thursday's contest with plenty of momentum, having forged a .349 average, .882 OPS and average of 10.3 DK points in his last 10 games. The 24-year-old should be hitting out of his usual leadoff spot and already has amassed 25 steals, 27 XBH and 36 RBI on his way to a .293 average and .360 on-base percentage. Choi has a .305 average and .761 OPS on the road over 51 games as well, while he's had his way against Samsung pitching to the tune of an .897 OPS and average of 10.2 DK points in 11 contests.
Ah Seop Son ($3,700) is an ageless veteran that can seemingly be penciled in for a .300 average and .350 OBP at minimum each season. This year is no different, and the 33-year-old checks in especially hot of late with a .343 average and .761 OPS in his last 10 games. Son's lack of pop does cap his fantasy value to an extent, but he'll steal an occasional base and has been particularly successful against KT pitching this season with a .341 average in 10 games.
Stacks to Consider
Lions vs. Gi Yeong Im: Ja Wook Koo ($6,100); Jose Pirela ($6,000); Min Ho Kang ($4,800); Jae Il Oh ($4,300)
Im has pitched to a 2-7 record, 5.18 ERA and .270 BAA across 20 starts this season, and he has a 5.88 ERA, .280 BAA and 1.48 WHIP in 11 road starts. The Lions are average 5.1 and 9.1 hits per game, boast a co-KBO-high .270 team batting average and belted 106 homers, third most in the league.
Koo is one of two very high-salaried parts to the stack, but he's worth the investment considering his average of 10.4 DK points, .298 average and .866 OPS. He also boasts respective .305 and .922 figures in the latter two categories, and he's punished Kia pitching for a .370 average 1.035 OPS in 11 games.
Pirela's attributes were already discussed in his entry, while Kang continues to provide excellent production for a backstop with a .310 average .870 OPS, 31 XBH and 57 RBI. Moreover, he carries .314 and .345 averages at home and against Tigers pitching, respectively.
Oh makes for a cost-effective way to round out the stack, as he has a .267/.353/.479 slash line with 31 XBH and 65 RBI. The veteran has also slugged 10 of his 17 homers at home, and he's flashed his upside with an excess of 20 DK points in two of his last seven games alone.
Dinos vs. Min Ho Lee: Sung Bum Na ($5,300); Eui Ji Yang ($5,300); Aaron Altherr ($5,000); Jin Sung Kang ($3,900)
Lee's troubles on the road were already detailed in Na's entry, and the Dinos check in with averaging 5.7 runs per home game while posting a .275 team batting average and belting 78 homers in that split as well.
Na's appeal was already detailed in his entry earlier, while Yang continues to flash as the most prolific offensive catcher in the league with a .339 average, 1.040 OPS, 23 homers and 87 RBI. He's been at his absolute best at home with a .363 average, and he's also punished LG pitching for a .350 average and 1.033 OPS in 11 games.
Altherr may be a bit lower-rostered than usual after hitting just .250 over his last 10 games, but even in that split, he's averaged an outstanding 10.3 DK points per contest by providing a well-rounded line that includes a double, a triple, two homers and three stolen bases.
Finally, Kang is the value play of the stack and has enjoyed plenty of success versus LG this season, posting a .333 average and .868 OPS in 11 games. Kang owns a solid .269 average with runners in scoring position as well and has an impressive .351 OBP on the season, giving him plenty of upside at his modest salary.
