This article is part of our DraftKings KBO series.
A new week of KBO action sees the Wiz and Twins pulling away ahead of the pack, with the Wiz leading the Twins by 2.5 games and the Twins leading the rest of the league by that same margin. They could well grow that game over the next few days, as they match up against a pair of bottom-three teams in the Eagles and Giants. Trailing them is a group of four teams separated by four games, spanning from the Lions in third to the Landers in sixth. Each series between teams in that group will be of critical importance, as only five teams make the KBO playoffs. We'll get two such series over the next two days (as we've entered the part of the schedule that switches from three-game to two-game sets), as the Landers host the Dinos while the Lions host the Heroes.
Unfortunately, the rain has returned, so we may not wind up getting a full slate Tuesday. The Tigers-Bears game in Seoul and the Dinos-Landers game in Incheon appear the most threatened as of writing.
Pitchers
Worries about the weather are just about the only reason not to like Ariel Miranda ($9,800) on this slate. He's merely $400 more expensive than the rest of the pitcher pool but has scored 4.5 more points than every other available starter. The lefty has been dominant throughout the season, particularly in the strikeout department, where his 30.9 percent strikeout rate leads the rest of the field of qualified starters by over three percentage points. Early in the season, the whiffs came with a few too many walks, but he hasn't walked more than two batters in any of his last 12 starts. After throwing seven scoreless innings in both of his last two starts, he now owns a 2.57 ERA on the year, good for fourth among qualified starters. He could move up that leaderboard Tuesday, as he'll face a Tigers lineup that has slipped to last place in runs per game and is very lefty-heavy at the top.
It may be tough to fit both Miranda and Andrew Suarez ($9,400) into your lineup, but it'll be tempting to try to make it work. Suarez's 25.4 percent strikeout rate isn't quite as strong as Miranda's 30.9 percent mark, but it's still good for fourth among qualified starters. He ranks one spot ahead of Miranda on the ERA leaderboard, where his 2.51 mark is good for third. The lefty has been excellent in three starts since the break, allowing just four runs over 16 innings of work while striking out 20 batters. The main downside to using him here is that the Giants lineup is very righty-heavy, but he's good enough to get the job done against any team. He's faced the Giants once already this season back in April and allowed just a single earned run in 6.1 frames.
Tuesday's cheap pitcher options are cheap for a reason, so I'm not sure I'd be comfortable going with anyone less expensive than Hyeong Jun So ($8,000). So was last year's rookie of the year, but he started this season very poorly, struggling to a 6.83 ERA and 1.84 WHIP in his first six outings. He's been mostly quite good over his last 10 starts, posting a 2.79 ERA and 1.32 WHIP. He's allowed no more than two earned runs in all but one of those outings, an eight-run implosion against the Heroes to close the first half. He hasn't allowed an earned run in his last two starts and has a chance to make that three scoreless outings in a row Tuesday, as he'll face the ninth-ranked Eagles lineup.
Top Targets
Jose Fernandez ($4,900) isn't usually available for less than $5,000, making him a strong option here considering that you might be loading up on expensive pitchers. He hasn't excelled since the break, though there's certainly nothing wrong with his .293/.369/.414 slash line in 15 games. He's struck out just four times over that stretch, lowering his strikeout rate to 5.9 percent, the lowest mark in the league. That elite level of contact is nothing new for Fernandez, who finished last year with a 6.3 percent mark, good for second among qualified hitters. He'll get the platoon advantage here against Daniel Mengden, who's allowed four runs in both of his last two starts.
Speaking of established KBO talents who come surprisingly cheap Tuesday, Hyun Soo Kim ($4,200) could hardly be more appealing here. The veteran outfielder has had a long and very successful career in Korea, hitting .320 over his 14 seasons and briefly making the jump stateside, where he recorded a respectable .273/.351/.368 slash line in 191 MLB games. He may be past his peak, but he still owns a strong .857 OPS for the season and an even better .966 OPS over his last 10 games. He has six multi-hit games over that stretch and could add another Tuesday, as he'll get the platoon advantage against Giants righty Yeong Hwan Choi, whose 3.67 ERA isn't backed up by his 20:18 K:BB.
Bargain Bats
Sticking with the Twins, Justin Bour ($2,300) will also get the platoon advantage against Choi and is far too cheap at his near-minimum price. His .149/.268/.213 slash line in 14 KBO games is quite poor, but that tiny sample isn't nearly as important as his 559 games at the MLB level, where he hit .253/.337/.457. That's a far longer and far stronger track record than you'll typically see for a foreign hitter in Korea, so he should certainly be expected to turn things around soon. That turnaround may already be happening, as he's now riding a four-game hitting streak, driving in four runs over that stretch.
Jeong Won Choi ($2,900) remains one of my favorite budget options. He's moved into a top-two spot in the order after the Dinos had four regulars suspended for health-protocol violations over the break, and almost anyone who occupied a spot in front of the likes of Eui Ji Yang and Sung Bum Na while costing less than $3,000 would be a very interesting option. Choi has made a strong case for himself in his own right, however, hitting .381 with a 5:5 BB:K in 13 games since the break while adding five steals. He should be in the middle of whatever the Dinos manage against Landers righty Min Jun Choi, who owns a 5.32 ERA and 1.82 WHIP while pitching mostly in relief.
Stacks to Consider
Lions vs. Seon Gi Kim: Jose Pirela ($5,900), Ja Wook Koo ($5,700), Min Ho Kang ($4,900)
There are plenty of good stack options to choose from Tuesday, but we may as well start with the pitcher who has the highest ERA on the slate and who will be pitching at the league's most hitter-friendly park. Kim was the eighth-overall pick in the 2018 draft but has yet to establish himself at the KBO level. He's thrown 85 innings over parts of four seasons, struggling to a 5.19 ERA and 1.61 WHIP while pitching mostly as a reliever. All 12 of his appearances this season have come in relief and none have lasted more than three innings so don't expect him to pitch very deep into this contest. He's unlikely to last long even if the Heroes want him to, as he's allowed 13 runs (11 earned) in 12.1 innings this season while striking out six and walking 10. The stack featured here is an expensive one, containing the Lions' number two through four hitters, so consider cutting one of the options for the much cheaper Won Seok Lee ($3,200) if you're short on budget space.
Wiz vs. Ki Joong Kim: Baek Ho Kang ($6,400), Jae Gyun Hwang ($5,200), Yong Ho Cho ($3,400)
Kim presumably has potential, as he was selected second overall in the most recent draft and has already thrown 32.2 innings at the KBO level in his age-18 season. He's done little to inspire much confidence in those innings, however. His 4.96 ERA is decent enough but the rest of his statline looks considerably worse. He's struggled to a 2.02 WHIP and has struck out just 13.5 percent of opposing batters while walking 14.7 percent. He wasn't good at the Futures League level, either, posting a 5.70 ERA and 2.28 WHIP. If he can't get Futures League hitters out, he's unlikely to have much success against a lineup like this one. The stack listed here features the Wiz's two biggest bats (including the excellent Kang and his 1.065 OPS despite the lefty-on-lefty matchup) alongside inexpensive leadoff man Cho, who will also get the platoon disadvantage and has struggled since the break but could have multiple chances to score given the matchup and the players hitting behind him.
