This article is part of our DraftKings KBO series.
We have another five-game slate Wednesday following a relatively low-scoring night Tuesday – only two teams, the Eagles and Wiz, scored more than four runs. We have another group of seemingly vulnerable pitchers on the hill Wednesday, however, and some ex-MLB bats look to be in particularly advantageous positions.
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
Jake Brigham ($10,300) does sport an elevated 1.47 WHIP but also owns a 2-1 mark, 2.55 ERA, and tallies of 26.0 and 25.5 DK points in two of his three starts. While he did melt down against the Tigers in his most recent time on the hill (five earned runs allowed on eight hits over five innings), Brigham has an excellent chance to bounce back Wednesday against a Giants team that sports a league-worst 16-29-1 record. Lotte also ranks in the bottom half of the league with 4.9 runs per game, while Brigham has averaged 25.8 DK points and posted a .186 BAA over 12.2 innings at home thus far.
Min Woo Kim ($8,000) is putting together an impressive season overall, posting a 6-2 record, 3.33 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and four quality starts overall. Kim is averaging a solid 16.1 DK points per start overall, a figure partly comprised of the 18.7 he posted over 6.1 innings these same Tigers on April 27. Kia continues to struggle with the bat as the calendar flips to June, averaging the fewest runs per game (4.2) and third-fewest hits per contest (8.9) while also hitting the fewest home runs (16) by far in the league. Kim has also been at his best at home, where he's averaged 19.5 DK points and generated a minuscule .167 BAA across three starts.
ALSO CONSIDER: Je Seong Bae ($9,000)
Top Targets
Jose Pirela ($6,100) had a rare 0-for-4 night Tuesday, but he's still hitting .302 over his last 10 games and is slashing an elite .345/.391/.599 for the season, figures that are partly comprised of nine doubles, one triple and 13 home runs. Pirela also has an impressive 39 RBI over 47 games thanks in large part to a .323 average with runners in scoring position. Pirela has been highly successful against Landers pitching this season as well, averaging a whopping 16.3 DK points and posting a 1.389 OPS across four games. Landers starter Su Min Jung is also an excellent target, considering he's pitched to a 6.75 ERA, 1.85 WHIP and massive 6.8 BB/9 across his 20 innings while posting a mediocre 14.7 percent strikeout rate.
Aaron Altherr ($5,400) continues to author a strong season despite a recent slump, as he's slashing .302/.375/.599 with nine doubles, 13 home runs and 34 RBI while also even contributing five steals. The former Phillies outfielder is hitting just .185 over his last nine games, however, which could lead to a bit of a dip in popularity for tournaments Wednesday. That makes him Altherr all the more appealing in GPPs, considering he's averaging 10.3 DK points per home game and has punished Bears pitching for a .375 average and 9.8 DK points per contest across four prior meetings this season. Doosan starter Been Gwak also has his share of warts, as he's posted a 5.59 ERA, 2.07 WHIP and .333 BAA across two road turns this season and has experienced significant control issues with 16 walks over 19 innings overall in 2021.
Jose Fernandez ($4,900) carries a very reasonable salary for a player who's slashing .347/.408/.489 with seven doubles, six home runs and 27 RBI across 44 games. The KBO veteran has been at his best on the road, where he boasts a .360 average, .903 OPS and average of 9.6 DK points per contest over 21 away games. He also checks into Wednesday's matchup against Wes Parsons wielding a hot bat, as Fernandez owns a .378 average over his last 10 games. Meanwhile, Parsons has generated a serviceable 4.07 ERA and 1.45 WHIP over his first eight KBO starts, but it's worth noting he allowed a .370 wOBA, .900 OPS and 2.3 HR/9 to the 71 left-handed bats he faced during his MLB career.
Bargain Bats
Zoilo Almonte ($3,500) now boasts a .342 average and .922 OPS over his last 10 games after posting 20- and 26-point DK tallies in his last pair of contests. The former Yankees prospect is slashing an impressive .291/.351/.429 and has 30 RBI over 46 games, while LG starter Chan Heon Jeong has had trouble at home with a 5.40 ERA, .297 BAA and 1.50 WHIP across four starts in that split while also allowing all four of his homers on the season there. While Almonte is naturally due to cool off at some point, his salary Wednesday actually offers a $200 discount over Tuesday's despite his big night.
Min Woo Park ($3,500) offers extremely cost-effective exposure to the powerful Dinos lineup, and he checks in with a stellar .340 average, .888 OPS and 8.4 DK points per game over 15 home contests. Park has three double-digit DK-point tallies in his last five games alone as well, while Doosan starter Been Gwak's various vulnerabilities were already highlighted in Altherr's entry.
ALSO CONSIDER: Yong Ho Cho ($3,800)
Stacks to Consider
Lions vs. Su Min Jung: Jose Pirela ($6,100); Ja Wook Koo ($5,700); Jae Il Oh ($4,300); Hun Gon Kim ($2,600)/ ALSO CONSIDER: Min Ho Kang ($5,300) if in lineup or if Koo is out.
Jung has experienced plenty of struggles already this season as highlighted in Pirela's entry, while the Lions come in averaging 5.1 runs per game while also having hit the third-most home runs (46) and generated the third-highest team batting average (.276).
Pirela's attributes were already discussed in his entry, while Koo's status will need to be monitored after he missed Tuesday's game due to a persona matter. He's an excellent component of the stack if he does play, considering his .293 average, .845 OPS, 10 doubles, four triples, five home runs and 32 RBI. Koo has also added 10 steals in as many attempts and is averaging an outstanding 10.0 DK points per contest.
Oh is hitting just .255, but he sports an impressive .845 OPS thanks in large part to a .520 slugging percentage that's partly comprised of five doubles and seven home runs out of a 25-hit sample. Oh has also been slightly more productive from a fantasy standpoint on the road (8.3 DK PPG) than at home (7.7 DK PPG), and the 32- and 44-DK-point tallies he's mustered in two of his last six games alone offer a glimpse at his massive ceiling.
Kim makes for an excellent cost-savings play to round out the stack with, as he's sporting a .299 average and .783 OPS, and he checks in with a .486 average and 1.131 OPS over his last 10 games, a stretch during which he's averaging 9.8 DK points per contest.
Dinos vs. Been Gwak: Sung Bum Na ($5,100); Eui Ji Yang ($5,100); Aaron Altherr ($5,400); Sok Min Park ($4,500)
Gwak's vulnerabilities were discussed in Altherr's entry, and the Dinos check in averaging a KBO-high 5.7 runs while also hitting a KBO-high 69 home runs and posting the league's fourth-highest batting average (.274).
Na makes for a strong way to kick off the stack, as he's laced 24 of his 52 hits for extra bases on his way to a .518 slugging percentage and .874 OPS. The veteran has been at his best by far at home with a .321 average, 1.039 OPS and 11.2 DK points per contest (20 games), and after an atypically slow start to the season, he's posted a .318 average and .918 OPS over his last 17 games.
Yang continues to be the best-hitting catcher in the league, as he carries a .342/.457/.638 slash line with 10 doubles, one triple, 11 home runs and 44 RBI across 46 games. The veteran backstop is also hitting a jaw-dropping .455 with runners in scoring position and is averaging 10.5 DK points over the last 10 games.
Altherr's appeal was already discussed in his entry, while Park enters with a .320 average, 1.049 OPS, nine home runs and 33 RBI, certainly impressive numbers for a player of his salary. The third baseman has been a much better hitter on the road, but he's punished Bears pitching for a .385 average over four games this season and has three double-digit DK-point tallies in his last eight contests alone.
