This article is part of our Dream11 Fantasy KBO series.
Lotte Giants (7-3) at Hanwha Eagles (4-7)
Sunday, May 17, 1:00 AM EDT
Projected Starters
RHP Lee Seung-heon (0-1, 31.50 ERA in 2019) vs RHP Kim Min-woo (0-0, 0.71 ERA)
Note: Korean names are transliterated differently by different sources. The spellings used here are those used by Dream11 in order to make it easier to assemble a lineup on that site.
Game Preview
This contest features the two teams which finished lowest in the KBO standings last season. The Eagles have opened the season in similar fashion, sitting tied for seventh through 11 games, while the Giants have gotten off to an unexpectedly hot start, with their 7-3 record earning them a share of second place. A pair of young righties takes the mound for the deciding game of the three-game series. The visiting Giants will send out 21-year-old Lee Seung-heon. He's almost a complete unknown at the KBO level, with just one very poor start under his belt back in May of 2019. He allowed seven runs in two innings in that appearance. The Eagles will turn to 24-year-old Kim Min-woo. He's looked great in one start and one relief appearance this season, posting a 2.38 ERA and a 0.71 WHIP while striking out 13 batters in 11.1 innings. That's an encouraging sample, but it's a tiny one compared to his poor body of work over his first 254.1 KBO innings, where he struggled to a 6.87 ERA and a 1.75 WHIP.
Injuries
Jared Hoying, Eagles - 10-Day
Lotte Giants (7-3) at Hanwha Eagles (4-7)
Sunday, May 17, 1:00 AM EDT
Projected Starters
RHP Lee Seung-heon (0-1, 31.50 ERA in 2019) vs RHP Kim Min-woo (0-0, 0.71 ERA)
Note: Korean names are transliterated differently by different sources. The spellings used here are those used by Dream11 in order to make it easier to assemble a lineup on that site.
Game Preview
This contest features the two teams which finished lowest in the KBO standings last season. The Eagles have opened the season in similar fashion, sitting tied for seventh through 11 games, while the Giants have gotten off to an unexpectedly hot start, with their 7-3 record earning them a share of second place. A pair of young righties takes the mound for the deciding game of the three-game series. The visiting Giants will send out 21-year-old Lee Seung-heon. He's almost a complete unknown at the KBO level, with just one very poor start under his belt back in May of 2019. He allowed seven runs in two innings in that appearance. The Eagles will turn to 24-year-old Kim Min-woo. He's looked great in one start and one relief appearance this season, posting a 2.38 ERA and a 0.71 WHIP while striking out 13 batters in 11.1 innings. That's an encouraging sample, but it's a tiny one compared to his poor body of work over his first 254.1 KBO innings, where he struggled to a 6.87 ERA and a 1.75 WHIP.
Injuries
Jared Hoying, Eagles - 10-Day IL - Back
May 15 - Hoying was placed on the injured list Friday with a back injury, Jeeho Yoo of Yonhap News Agency reports. It's not clear how much time Hoying will miss with his injury, but he will be sidelined for at least the next 10 days. Hoying had started every game for Hanwha up to this point and was beginning to heat up, so his absence will be notable.
Lee Yong-kyu, Eagles - Day-To-Day - Calf
May 16 - Lee (calf) is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Lotte Giants, according to mykbostats.com. Lee's calf injury will prevent Hanwha's top center fielder from taking the field in a third consecutive game. It's still uncertain how long he will be out, but with just one game to go before a day off Monday, it's likely he will be held out of at least one more contest.
Giants Expected Lineup
P Lee Seung-heon
1. Min Byung-hun
2. Jeon Jun-woo
3. Son Ah-seop
4. Lee Dae-ho
5. An Chi-hong
6. Jung Hoon
8. Han Dong-hee
9. Jung Bo-geun
Eagles Expected Lineup
P Kim Min-woo
1. Jung Jin-ho
2. Jung Eun-won
3. Ha Ju-suk
4. Lee Sung-yeol
5. Song Kwang-min
6. Oh Sun-jin
7. Jang Jin-hyuk
8. Choi Jae-hoon
9. Lee Dong-hoon
Top Picks
Lee Seung-heon, Giants: There's very little reason to trust either pitcher, with Lee having almost no KBO track record and Kim Min-woo's track record being very poor prior to a small sample this season. With that in mind, taking Lee against an Eagles lineup which has scored just 3.0 runs per game (compared to 6.2 runs per game for the Giants) seems like the better play, especially with the Eagles missing star slugger Jared Hoying due to a back injury.
Son Ah-seop, Giants: Son makes for the strongest captain choice for the Giants as one of the team's few left-handed bats. The number three hitter has gotten off to a very hot start this season, hitting .424 while scoring 11 runs in 10 games.
Min Byung-hun, Giants: Leadoff man Min makes for a solid captain choice as well. He's already hit two homers through 10 games after hitting just nine last season, but he's notable primarily for his on-base prowess. He owns a .400 on-base percentage so far this season and hasn't finished below .377 in that category since 2012.
Lee Sung-yeol, Eagles: Building an Eagles-centered lineup isn't a bad idea given Lee Seung-heon's inexperience, and Lee Sung-yeol looks to be the top captain choice should you elect to go that route. He's yet to homer this season and has just one extra-base hit, but he's made good contact, posting a .302 batting average, and the power will likely come sooner rather than later, as he's averaged 25.3 homers per season over the last three years.
Captaincy Options
1. Son Ah-seop
2. Min Byung-hun
3. Lee Sung-yeol
Dream11 Team
P Lee Seung-heon
C Jung Bo-geun
IF Jeon Jun-woo
IF Lee Sung-yeol
IF Jung Eun-won
IF An Chi-hong
IF Ha Ju-suk
OF Son Ah-seop (C)
OF Min Byung-hun (VC)
