This article is part of our DraftKings KBO series.
The start of a new week of KBO action features one of the most important series of the year thus far, as the second-place Twins travel to take on the first-place Wiz in hopes of closing the 1.5-game gap that's opened up between the pair following the Wiz's three-game winning streak. The Dinos head to Incheon to face the Landers in another key matchup, with the Landers currently leading the Dinos in the race for the final playoff spot by just a single game. Those pairings as well as three others make up what looks like another rain-free slate Tuesday, one that features a large number of playable pitching options.
Pitchers
Andrew Suarez ($9,300) stands alone atop a group of starters that's long in acceptable choices but short in proven aces. Suarez is firmly a member of that group, as he's filled up the leaderboard this season, ranking fourth among qualified starters in ERA (2.52), fifth in WHIP (1.19) and fifth in strikeout rate (25.1 percent). That shouldn't come as much of a surprise, as his 4.66 ERA in 202.2 innings at the MLB level is much better than nearly every pitcher in Korea can boast. He faces a tough assignment in the third-ranked Wiz lineup, but he's proven to be good enough to handle anybody this season.
If you like pitchers with good MLB resumes, you'll love Mike Montgomery ($8,500). He's made just two starts for the Lions after joining right before the Olympic break and has had mixed results in his tiny sample, allowing four runs in eight innings while striking out 32.4 percent of opposing batters but walking 17.6 percent. Based on his track record at the highest level, which, at 541 innings, is one of the more extensive ones in the league, we should expect him to be much better than that going forward. While the veteran lefty has battled injuries in recent years, his 3.84 ERA and 1.35 WHIP in MLB are both quite respectable. The last-ranked Eagles lineup shouldn't give a pitcher of his caliber much trouble.
If you're looking to save budget space, Won Tae Choi ($7,000) is as cheap as I'd be comfortable going at the position. He doesn't have big upside, as he's struck out just 13.8 percent of opposing batters this season and hasn't whiffed more than three in any of his last five starts, but he does have a fairly high floor. He bounced back from a pair of poor outings to end the first half with 5.2 innings of one-run ball his last time out against the Wiz, dropping his ERA to 3.95. He now owns a sub-4.00 ERA for the third time in four seasons. The fifth-ranked Giants lineup isn't the most intimidating of assignments, especially as he'll get the platoon advantage against the majority of the righty-heavy unit.
Top Targets
The Bears certainly could have been one of today's stack recommendations, as they'll square off against Tigers righty Hyeon Su Kim, who owns a 6.35 ERA and 1.81 WHIP. Suk Hwan Yang ($4,500) is the cheapest of the team's top-tier bats but has been the hottest of late. He's homered three times in five games since the break, driving in five runs while going 7-for-19 at the plate. That merely represents the latest strong set of performances in what's been a breakout season for the 30-year-old. Yang never posted an OPS north of .758 in the past but owns an .870 mark this season, the product of a .286/.345/.525 slash line.
Chang Ki Hong ($4,300) had received a total of just 56 plate appearances through his age-25 season, but he took advantage of his opportunities last year to finish with a .279/.411/.417 slash line. He's done everything he can this season to prove last year wasn't a fluke. While he's homered just three times, he's demonstrated the ideal skillset for a leadoff man, ranking fourth in batting average (.345), third in walk rate (17.3 percent) and second in on-base percentage (.477). He should get on base early and often Tuesday, as he'll get the platoon advantage against Wiz righty Je Seong Bae, who owns a 3.62 ERA but has walked 12.8 percent of opposing batters.
Bargain Bats
If you're looking for a mid-priced power bat, Yoo Seom Han ($3,900) remains one of the best options in the league. His homer Sunday against the Tigers means he now has 29 in 140 games over the last two seasons. He typically bats fifth in the order and should have plenty of baserunners in front of him, as the Landers added Shin Soo Choi over the offseason to a core which already featured a pair of strong sluggers in Jeong Choi and Jamie Romak. Any combination of those players could make for a strong stack Tuesday against Dinos righty Myung Gi Song, who's struggled to a 6.20 ERA this season.
Byung Ho Park ($2,800) is a flawed player at this point in his career, but he has no business coming in at less than $3,000. His 26.4 percent strikeout rate is the second-worst mark among qualified hitters, keeping his batting average quite low at .230, barely better than the .223 mark he produced last season. He still has plenty of power, though, homering 21 times in 93 games last year and 12 times in 64 games this season. That's not the 50-homer pop he displayed at his peak, a tool that gave him the chance to play briefly at the MLB level for Minnesota, but it's more than enough to make him an excellent budget option at the typically pricey first base position, especially given that he's homered twice in his last three games. He'll have a shot to make it three times in four games Tuesday, as he'll face Enderson Franco and his unimpressive 4.65 ERA.
Stacks to Consider
Tigers vs. Young Ha Lee: Sun Bin Kim ($4,500), Preston Tucker ($3,700), Hyoung Woo Choi ($3,400)
The Tigers' lineup has struggled this season, ranking second-last in scoring, but Lee hasn't shown the ability to stop anybody at all this year. The 23-year-old was bumped to the bullpen last year after some disappointing performances as a starter, and it's seemingly only a matter of time before a similar move is called for. He's struggled to an awful 9.36 ERA in eight outings and that number looks well-deserved given his terrible peripherals. He's striking out just 8.7 percent of opposing batters while walking 15.7 percent. The Olympic break didn't seem to help him, as he struck out just two while walking seven in his first start of the second half against the Lions.
The nice thing about the Tigers' lineup struggling so much this season is that we can build a very affordable stack out of three of the team's best hitters. Kim would be less exciting if he weren't playing the fairly shallow position of shortstop, as he owns a modest .768 OPS, but he's swung a hot bat in recent days, grabbing seven hits over the three-game weekend series against the Landers. Tucker has been well below his usual standards this season, hitting just .241/.348/.356, but a .262 BABIP can be blamed for at least some of his struggles, as he's still walking more than he's struck out for the second straight season. Choi is also having a very disappointing season, with his .743 OPS coming in well below his 1.028 mark from last season, but there's reason for optimism going forward. His early troubles can be attributed to an eye issue which he's since gotten over, as evidenced by his .342/.468/.553 line over his last 11 games.
Dinos vs. Won Seok Oh: Eui Ji Yang ($5,700), Aaron Altherr ($4,800), Jeong Won Choi ($2,500)
Oh has a fair amount of potential, as the 20-year-old was a regional-round pick (a round which precedes the bulk of the draft in which teams can select a player from their local area) in the 2020 draft. His 17.2 percent strikeout rate in 87 innings thus far in his career is perfectly respectable for a player of his age, but he's struggled to find the zone, issuing walks at a 13.2 percent clip. He started off April well this season, posting a 4.26 ERA and 1.26 WHIP, but he simply hasn't been good enough since then. Since the calendar flipped to May, he owns a 5.86 ERA and 1.83 WHIP, striking out 40 batters while walking 42 over 58.1 innings of work. The Dinos may not score 10 off him like the Twins did his last time out, but they're likely to put up some crooked numbers.
The Dinos' lineup has been decimated by injuries and suspensions and is without five everyday players, but there are still some elite talents left over. Arguably no one in the league is more elite than Yang, who leads the league with a 1.115 OPS despite being a 34-year-old catcher. Don't expect him to fade too much down the stretch, as he's recorded an OPS north of 1.000 in each of the three previous seasons. Altherr is in a slump and grabbed just a single hit last week, but he remains interesting given that he'll get the platoon advantage against a pitcher who just gave up 10 runs. Even after the slump, Altherr's OPS sits at .837, and the player who posted an even better .897 OPS last year is presumably still in there. Choi is listed here purely for his lineup position, as he led off Sunday against lefty Ryan Carpenter, the only southpaw the Dinos have faced since the break. The 21-year-old has hit .307/.388/.400 with seven steals in a small sample of 89 plate appearances in his KBO career, though it's the leadoff spot we want more than Choi specifically, so swap him out for whoever is listed there tonight.
