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Welcome back, RotoBallers, to another KBO DFS column. Have you caught KBO fever yet? It’s only been a few days but I’ve been enjoying these games and digging in deep to research these teams and players for you! We had some rain put a damper on last night's slate but tonight looks good to go and I'm anxious to get back at it.
DraftKings and FanDuel will use the same scoring system that they do for MLB, however, the roster builds are much different on FanDuel. You must roster two infielders, two outfielders, and two utility players along with a pitcher for a total of only seven players on FanDuel. DraftKings has kept its normal MLB structure with two starting pitchers and an entire eight-hitter lineup for a total of ten players. Building lineups on each site is going to be very different.
Today, I'll be providing my KBO DFS lineup picks and analysis for this five-game slate on DraftKings and FanDuel that locks at 1:00 AM on Sunday, May 10, 2020. Both DraftKings and FanDuel have large contests with big top prizes. DraftKings' largest contest has a top prize of $20K to first and FanDuel has a contest with a top prize of $5K to first. Make sure you are also following me @Grownfool on Twitter!
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KBO DFS Pitchers
Strikeout rates are much lower in KBO. An average MLB K% would be among the league leaders in KBO. The lower strikeout numbers make innings and wins much more important for KBO DFS. Most of the league leaders in innings pitched last season were foreign pitchers. Foreign pitchers were quarantined for 14 days after returning in late March. Some have pitched limited innings in their first start. Casey Kelly is making his first start of the season. Unlike other teams, LG pushed back the first starts of both of their foreign starters. Tyler Wilson threw 96 pitches in his first start after throwing 46 in an exhibition game. Kelly did not pitch in any of the exhibition games. There's a risk that he pitches less than five innings.
Tae Hoon Kim - SK Starting P ($6800 DraftKings / $23 FanDuel)
Kim did not start any game last season but did throw 85 pitches in a five-inning exhibition start. Although Kim's inning may be limited, the strikeout upside makes him worth the risk as Kim was in the top 5 in KBO for SO/9.
Young Gyu Kim - NC Starting P ($4000 DraftKings / $25 FanDuel)
Kim threw a complete game shutout versus LG in his last start of the season and LG is below average against lefties. Most of Kim's 30 appearances last season were in relief and only two of his ten starts were quality. Kim did not start any exhibition games but did throw 69 pitches in his only appearance.
Jake Brigham - Kiwoom Starting P ($8500 DraftKings / $23 FanDuel)
Brigham threw 62 pitches in his last start and should be good for 80-90 pitches today. In his first start, Brigham gave up zero runs on two hits. The Heroes are up against the Eagles who are one of the weakest teams in KBO. Brigham is likely to get the win.
Hyun Jong Yang - Kia Starting P ($9500 DraftKings / $21 FanDuel)
Yang won the 2017 KBO MVP and is one of the best pitchers in the league. Last season, more than half of Yang's starts were seven innings or more. Yang had a rough start on opening day in which he gave up four runs in three innings to the Heroes. Tonight's matchup is much better as the Lions are one of the worst hitting teams in the league.
KBO Top Hitter Stacks
KBO de-juiced the ball last season and power numbers declined. Building stacks around power hitters will be the key to success in KBO DFS. The best stacks are less likely to be straight 1-4 hitters and more likely to be something less traditional like skipping over multiple hitters in the order. Don't overlook hitters batting sixth and seventh especially in top offenses. Some teams also have hitters with speed batting ninth that function almost like a second leadoff hitter.
Doosan Bears
Jamsil is the most pitcher-friendly park in KBO so it's usually better to look elsewhere for your primary stack. This matchup is too good to overlook. Min Kim had three multi HR games last season including one in Jamsil. The bullpen has given up three HRs so far this season and the Wiz have the highest WHIP in the league.
Jae Il Oh led the team in HRs last season. Jose Miguel Fernandez has been red hot to start the season and has a 1.250 OPS. Jae Hwan Kim has a double and HR and hit 15 HRs last season. Kun Woo Park leads off and is a stolen base threat. So far this season he has one HR.
- Jose Miguel Fernandez - 1B/2B ($5200 DraftKings / $16 FanDuel)
- Jae Hwan Kim - 1B/OF ($4500 DraftKings / $13 FanDuel)
- Kun Woo Park - OF ($4200 DraftKings / $13 FanDuel)
- Jae Il Oh - 1B ($3800 DraftKings / $14 FanDuel)
SK Wyverns
Dan Straily only gave up two runs on two hits on opening day but walked three and gave up a home run. The Wyverns have a deep lineup and Strailly has been prone to giving up the long ball throughout his career.
Jamie Romak and Jeong Choi tied for the team lead in HRs at 29. Dong Min Han is also a power threat and already has three home runs. Rounding out Wyverns power hitters are Eui Yoon Jeong and Jae Won Lee who both hit 12 HR last season. Jong Wook Ko usually bats second and is a stolen base threat. Chang Pyung Kim has been on base five times and has five steals.
- Jeong Choi - 3B/SS ($4800 DraftKings / $16 FanDuel)
- Jamie Romak - 1B/OF ($5700 DraftKings / $13 FanDuel)
- Dong Min Han - OF ($4000 DraftKings / $11 FanDuel)
- Jong Wook Ko - OF ($3700 DraftKings / $8 FanDuel)
- Eui Yoon Jeong - OF ($2300 DraftKings / $9 FanDuel)
- Chang Pyung Kim - 2B/3B ($2500 DraftKings / $6 FanDuel)
Other stacks to consider:
- Kia Tigers
- Kiwoom Heroes
Conclusion
- Starting lineups will not be released until one hour before lock. Note the start time of these contests and be prepared to stay up late or get up early. Most lineups have been close to what we expected for most teams especially the top and middle of the order.
- Go easy on these early in the season slates and have some fun with it. There's going to be a learning curve here for everyone with a new sport like this and you don't want to play more bankroll than you're comfortable with on players you've never heard of before.
- Use familiar MLB DFS strategies like stacking and picking on bad pitchers. Once we get to know these teams better and get more data on hitters and pitchers we should be able to have a better indication of who we want to target on a nightly basis.
- Good luck and have some fun! Just be thankful that baseball, in some form, is back!
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