This article is part of our DraftKings KBO series.
We finally saw a rain-free KBO slate Tuesday, a day which didn't feature much scoring in the majority of its games. Two games featured just a single run apiece, with the Twins defeating the DInos and the Wiz beating the Bears, both by 1-0 scores. Andrew Suarez struck out six in seven scoreless innings while allowing just two runs against the defending champions, while Odrisamer Despaigne struck out six in six scoreless frames against last year's runners up. Dan Straily had the best game of the day in the Giants' 4-3 win over the Eagles, however, as he struck out 12 over six innings while allowing just a single hit and no runs. If you wanted offense, Jeong Choi provided some in the Landers' 7-5 win over the Tigers, going 3-for-4 with a homer and four RBI, though your best bet was to grab as many Heroes as possible. Seven different players had multi-hit games for the Heroes as they blew out the Lions by a 15-3 score.
It looks like we're going to get another rain-free slate Wednesday. Unusually for a Wednesday slate, the action will kick off at 12:58 a.m. ET.
Pitchers
Tae In Won ($9,700) is perhaps the story of the season so far. He deserves credit for being at least competent in his age-19 and age-20 seasons the last two years, but his 4.86 ERA and 13.0 percent strikeout rate in those campaigns hardly suggested that a breakout was coming. This year, he's suddenly arguably the best pitcher in the entire league, as his 1.00 ERA unsurprisingly leads all qualified starters. No one can maintain a mark quite that good, but Won's improvements are well-earned. His strikeout rate this season has more than doubled to 26.4 percent, a mark he's combined with a career-best 6.7 percent walk rate. He's also seen his velocity jump by nearly a tick and a half. He's the real deal and is worth a high price even against an improving Heroes lineup in the league's best hitters' park.
Nick Kingham ($8,600) is looking like a shrewd signing by the Eagles. He made his KBO debut with the Wyverns last year but made it through just two starts before being shut down with elbow troubles and eventually released. This season, however, he's looked like a very solid option, with his 4.12 ERA painting him in a worse light than he perhaps deserves. That number comes with a 1.14 WHIP and strong combination of a 21.2 percent strikeout rate and 6.7 percent walk rate. He's had a few blips, but he's crossed the 20-point threshold in four of his seven starts and should do so again here against a righty-heavy Giants lineup that sits a modest fifth in scoring.
Wilmer Font's ($7,000) season numbers are held back by a very poor first start, but his performances since then make him a clear bargain at his low price. Toss out his four runs in two innings against the Eagles in his KBO debut, and his ERA improves to 3.68 and his WHIP improves to 1.05. His 23.1 percent strikeout rate and 7.7 percent walk rate over those four good outings back up the idea that he's been a solid starter for most of the year. Font has thrown two straight quality starts, striking out a career-high nine in his most recent outing, and he stands a good chance at making it three in a row against the last-ranked Tigers lineup.
Top Targets
Sok Min Park ($5,500) didn't fit into the Dinos stack listed below, but he's an excellent alternative or additional option if you can find the budget space. For most of his career with the Dinos, the veteran third baseman has been a quality hitter but not quite the guy he was in his prime, when he helped lead the Lions to six straight Korean Series appearances in the first half of last decade. This year, however, he's back in vintage form, hitting .329/.416/.697. Among players who have come to the plate at least 80 times, his 1.1113 OPS leads the league. Getting the platoon advantage against Sang Yung Lee (discussed below) makes him an even more appealing option than usual.
The Eagles could have been one of today's recommended stacks against Giants righty Kyung Eun Noh and his 6.48 ERA if only there were enough Eagles worth trusting. Eun Won Jung ($4,100) remains the most cost-efficient option for the last-place team. The leadoff man is excellent in his role, walking 21.0 percent of the time despite the fact that opposing pitchers have no real reason to fear him and his .359 slugging percentage. He's unlikely to give you a homer Wednesday, as he doesn't have any all year, but his .429 on-base percentage means he's likely to be in the middle of whatever offense the Eagles generate against the struggling veteran.
Bargain Bats
The Lions also could easily have been one of the day's top stacks in their hitter-friendly park, but Woo Jin An has shown just enough this season despite a modest 4.62 ERA to give other teams the nod. An certainly isn't intimidating enough that you should avoid the team entirely, however, with Jae Il Oh ($3,700) representing the cheapest way to get a key piece of their lineup. The former Bear missed most of April with an abdominal injury and struggled to a .499 OPS in his first seven games after returning to the lineup, but he's been on a tear ever since. The cleanup hitter has gone hitless just once in his last 11 games, posting a .325/.413/.625 line over that stretch.
Ariel Miranda has one of the most unique statlines in the KBO thus far, as his 29.7 percent strikeout rate has been able to offset a 16.1 percent walk rate, leading to a 3.15 ERA despite a 1.60 WHIP. That WHIP suggests we shouldn't be too scared to use Wiz hitters against him. Yong Ho Cho ($3,900) lines up particularly well. The leadoff man could well walk in each of his plate appearances against Miranda, as he owns a 16.8 percent walk rate. He's also far less susceptible to the strikeout than most hitters, whiffing just 10.7 percent of the time. He doesn't have any power, slugging just .303 this season and failing to homer in over a thousand KBO plate appearances, but his .396 on-base percentage means he's likely to be a part of whatever rallies the Wiz manage Wednesday.
Stacks to Consider
Dinos vs. Sang Yung Lee: Aaron Altherr ($6,200), Eui Ji Yang ($5,500), Hui Dong Kwon ($3,400)
It doesn't take much to incentivize stacking the Dinos, and a matchup against the pitcher with the shortest resume on the slate makes them the easy top choice here. The 20-year-old lefty may have potential, as he was selected fifth-overall in the 2019 draft, but he hasn't shown much thus far. Don't be fooled by his 2.70 ERA through three starts this season, as it comes with a 5:9 K:BB. In addition to walking 19.6 percent of opposing batters, he's also hit four more. Once his .148 BABIP rises (and it should more than double if it winds up near the league average), his ERA should take a big jump.
The stack listed here features what should be the first three lefties in the Dinos' lineup. Altherr was already quite good in his first KBO season last year, posting a .897 OPS, but he's seen that mark jump to a league-leading 1.092 this season. He also leads the league with 12 homers. Yang sits two spots behind him in the OPS rankings with a 1.068 mark and is well on his way towards his fourth straight season finishing above 1.000 in that category. Kwon is most interesting because he's been hitting second recently, but he's worth a look for his talent as well. If not for a .210 BABIP, his OPS would likely be a lot higher than his already solid .791 mark.
Bears vs. William Cuevas: Jae Hwan Kim ($5,600), In Tae Kim ($2,800), Soo Bin Jung ($2,200)
It's unusual to recommend a stack against a former MLB pitcher, but Cuevas has fallen far short of the expectations for foreign arms so far this year. He missed the start of the year with back issues, and it's fair to wonder whether he's truly back to full strength. Through five starts, he's struggled to a 7.04 ERA and 1.91 WHIP. Over his last two outings, he's been particularly poor, allowing 16 runs. Even at his best, he's not among the best foreign pitchers in the league, as his 4.10 ERA last year wasn't particularly intimidating.
The stack listed here isn't the typical Bears one, but it features the first three lefties in the Bears' most recent lineup. Jose Fernandez missed Tuesday's game after taking a pitch off his hand the day before, but Jae Hwan Kim is very capable of headlining a stack on his own. His .286/.405/.548 line on the season is good for a .953 OPS, his best mark since his MVP campaign in 2018. In Tae Kim spent some time batting second last week but has found himself hitting sixth recently. The outfielder has looked good in his first taste of regular at-bats, with his .291/.412/.354 slash line easily good enough to justify his low price. Jung could be swapped out for one of the Bears' more expensive righties if you have the budget space, but it's tough to pass up a player this cheap if he bats second again like he did Tuesday. He's struggled to a .125 average this season but can blame a .167 BABIP for much of his struggles, as he was a .298 hitter last season.
