This article is part of our DraftKings KBO series.
Bullpens across the KBO should be well-rested Wednesday, as the entire league got two days off due to the traditional Monday off day and a night full of cancelations Tuesday as the Olympic team received its second shot of the COVID-19 vaccine. The start of a new week sees a pair of teams that missed the playoffs last year (the Landers and Lions) tied atop the standings, while each of last year's five playoff teams trails them by no more than 2.5 games. The Eagles, Tigers and Giants all look to be falling out of the race already, though it's of course still early enough that a hot streak from any of them could get them right back in it.
Pitchers
Ariel Miranda ($9,700) has a somewhat odd statline, but he's gotten to his solid 3.76 ERA in a very fantasy-friendly way. For fantasy purposes, you'd much rather have a high-strikeout, high-walk arm than the alternative, as those strikeouts provide plenty of points on their own even if your pitcher gives up more runs than you'd like. Miranda takes that to the extreme. His 31.1 percent strikeout rate leads all pitchers who have thrown at least 30 innings by a wide margin, but his 15.3 percent walk rate is the second-worst mark among that same group and has led to a 1.70 WHIP, good for fourth-worst. There's certainly downside here if Miranda can't hit his spots, but his high price is justified given the strikeout upside against an Eagles lineup that ranks eighth in scoring and last in strikeout rate.
Wilmer Font ($7,000) doesn't have the easiest matchup against the third-ranked Wiz lineup, but he's priced cheaply enough that he's worth a look nonetheless. His 4.65 ERA through his first six KBO starts is unimpressive, but that's a small enough sample that it's affected strongly by a very poor first outing which saw him allow four runs in two innings. Toss that one out, and he has a 3.72 ERA and 1.17 WHIP. Even with the poor outing included, his combination of a 22.2 percent strikeout rate and 8.9 percent walk rate bodes quite well for his future. Font is riding a streak of three straight quality starts and should have a good shot at another Wednesday.
Woo Jin An ($6,500) has easily the most upside among any of the day's cheapest arms, especially against the last-ranked Tigers lineup. The righty is a 21-year-old with plenty of potential, as he demonstrated in a bullpen role last season by riding a 27.9 percent strikeout rate to a 3.00 ERA and 1.03 WHIP. His numbers as a starter this season are significantly worse, but he's gotten better as the season has gone on. After producing a 6.14 ERA, 1.91 WHIP and 16:11 K:BB over his first four starts, he's cruised to a 2.87 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 17:3 K:BB over his last three. He's also finally being trusted to go deeper into games, throwing a season-high 96 pitches his last time out against the Lions.
Top Targets
The Bears could have been one of today's stack recommendations against Eagles southpaw Beom Su Kim and his 5.64 ERA, but the fact that most of the Bears' best bats hit left-handed gave the slight edge to other options. The team's best righties like Kyoung Min Hur ($4,600) are certainly worth considering, however. Heo is primarily a contact hitter, as he's never homered more than 10 times in a season, but he's among the best in the league at what he does. His .342 batting average is good for sixth among qualified hitters, while his 7.1 percent strikeout rate is good for third. The leadoff hitter should be in the middle of most of what the Bears manage against Kim on Wednesday.
Eui Ji Yang ($5,300) is apparently ageless. The 33-year-old had been a strong offensive catcher for years but didn't cross the 1.000-OPS threshold until his age-31 season in 2018. He repeated the feat in each of the next two years and shouldn't have much trouble doing so again this season, as his .351/.463/.649 slash line is good for a 1.111 OPS, his highest mark ever and good for the top spot among all qualified hitters. He'll get the platoon advantage Tuesday against Lions lefty Jung Hyun Baek, who owns an unintimidating 4.39 ERA and 1.54 WHIP.
Bargain Bats
Sticking with the Dinos, Hui Dong Kwon ($3,500) has seen his price tag rise recently but remains a strong budget option as long as he returns to the second spot in the order, the spot he'd occupied in his last eight starts before dropping to seventh in his most recent game. If he moves back there with a lefty on the mound Wednesday, he'll provide a key on-base threat for a lineup that's full of sluggers behind him. A .229 BABIP has suppressed his batting average, but he's still managed a .385 on-base percentage thanks to an 18.9 percent walk rate.
If you're looking for a fairly cheap catching option and aren't scared of Woo Jin An, who's an interesting budget option as mentioned above but is hardly an established ace, consider Jeong Hun Lee ($3,900). The 26-year-old appeared in a grand total of 14 games prior to this year, but he's suddenly won the Tigers' trust as an everyday designated hitter, batting third or fourth in each of the team's last seven games. He's rewarded that trust with a .333/.424/.431 slash line. That comes in a small sample of just 15 games, but his 6:8 BB:K backs up the idea that he's seeing the ball quite well.
Stacks to Consider
Twins vs. Gyun An Na: Chang Ki Hong ($5,000), Hyun Soo Kim ($4,900), Chun Woong Lee ($2,800)
The Twins lineup ranks a very disappointing ninth in scoring so far this season, though they'll at least get to trade their run-suppressing home park for a much more hitter-friendly venue in this series. A matchup against Na should help get their sputtering bats going. The bulk of the 23-year-old's career has come as a hitter, as he entered the league as a catcher but made the transition to the mound in the Futures League last year after hitting .123/.193/.183 in 215 games as a backstop. His numbers look good in four relief appearances and one start this year, as he owns a 2.61 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 8:2 K:BB in 10.1 innings, but that's far too short a sample to make him an intimidating arm. His 4.05 ERA and 1.50 WHIP in 20 Futures League frames aren't exactly convincing.
The Twins' lineup is very lefty-heavy, giving us plenty of options to choose from. I've gone with the trio who should hit in the top three spots in the order here, though Roberto Ramos has shown enough signs of life recently that you could certainly swap him in if you don't have three open outfield spots. Hong has been an excellent table-setter throughout the season, riding a .308 average and a 17.8 percent walk rate to a .447 on-base percentage, the fourth-best mark among qualified hitters. Kim had been getting a bit cold at the plate but has a homer and four hits in his last three games, raising his OPS up to .920, a near match for his .927 OPS from last season. Lee should hit between Hong and Kim in the number two spot and is quite cheap for a player who occupies that role. His season numbers are poor, but he owns an .859 OPS in 11 games since returning from a demotion.
Giants vs. Sang Yung Lee: Jun Woo Jeon ($4,500), Hoon Jung ($4,300), Chi Hong An ($4,000)
The opposite side of that same contest features the slate's other top stack. Lee's 4.20 ERA could certainly be worse, but the rest of his line suggests that it really should be. His 14.1 percent strikeout rate and 15.5 percent walk rate are both very poor, so his ERA should rise by a considerable amount along with his .238 BABIP. For a 20-year-old whose only prior KBO expensive involved him giving up five runs in 2.2 innings back in 2019, there's little reason to believe he has what it takes to stick around in the rotation for long.
The Giants are heavily right-handed, leaving plenty of options for how to compose this stack against the young southpaw. The trio featured here typically bat in the first four spots in the order and are all similarly above-average but not elite hitters, as their price tags suggest. Jeon has traded in some power for some contact this season, but his .832 OPS has thus far wound up as a near match for his .828 mark from last season. Leadoff man Jung is in the middle of a career year in his age-33 season, as his .866 OPS represents his best mark since a 26-game cameo back in 2011. An fits poorly as a cleanup hitter, as he's managed just three homers this year and hit just eight last year, but he's an effective hitter nonetheless, posting an .822 OPS on the year.
