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Welcome back, RotoBallers, to another KBO DFS pick column. Today is actually my debut DFS column for RotoBaller, but rest assured that I have been covering baseball extensively and have been digging into the KBO for a few weeks before taking on writing duties. If you haven't been following the other Rotoballer writers on Twitter, then you should start! In particular, @efhatch1990dfs has his personal KBO DFS Cheat Sheets which you will now be able to find here on Rotoballer with the ease of a click.
New to KBO? Don't worry, we got you covered! 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 a good bit different on most nights, but I've tried to give you enough options and thoughts behind each option so that you can make the best decision based on your build preference.
Featured Promo: Get any DFS Premium Bundle for for 10% off using code BALLER! Win more with expert advice from proven winners and exclusive DFS tools. Get instant access to RotoBaller's Lineup Optimizers, Research Stations, daily picks and VIP chat rooms across 10 sports! Go Premium, Win More!Today, I'll be providing my KBO DFS lineup picks and analysis for this five-game slate on DraftKings and FanDuel that locks at 5:30 AM on Wednesday, June 3, 2020. You can check our daily KBO Betting Picks as well.
KBO DFS Pitchers
Hyun Jong Yang (Kia)
$9.9K DraftKings, $27 FanDuel
If you look at Yang's overall numbers, you're not going to be impressed, which is why it's important to dig beneath the surface. His current 4.85 ERA and 1.42 WHIP are heavily influenced by a 5 IP, 11 H, 6 ER game in his last start against KT. That's the same KT Wiz team that feasts on left-handed pitching. It was simply a bad matchup for Kang. In his two other starts, against SK and Doosan, he went 12 IP with 10 hits, and two earned runs while striking out 12 and walking three.
What's more, Yang has a tremendous track record of success. He's finished with an ERA under 4.00 in four of his last five years and finished last year with a 2.29 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, and a 163:33 K:BB ratio in 184.2 IP. He is not going to give hitters anything free, which is perfect considering he goes up against Lotte today (well, tomorrow).
Lotte has really struggled after a hot start. They have the fourth-lowest batting average in the league, second-fewest runs scored in the league, and 2nd-fewest home runs. They just simply have not seemed like a team that is going to make any pitcher pay, which means Yang is one of the safest options on the slate tonight and likely worth his price tag.
Casey Kelly (LG)
$8.8K DraftKings, $25 FanDuel
Casey Kelly is another pitcher whose surface-level numbers don't reflect how attractive an option he is. For starters, LG is the largest favorite on the slate tonight with Vegas setting the odds at -230. That should make you feel relatively good about getting a win out of him. Especially considering Kelly has gone exactly six innings in each of his three starts, which would limit a need for much out of the bullpen.
Kelly also has one bad start against the KT Wiz under his belt, allowing four runs on seven hits over six innings back on March 22nd. In his last start, he dominated Hanwha over six scoreless innings, striking out 10, walking three and allowing four hits. He has also thrown six scoreless innings against Kiwoom in his first start of the season.
While Samsung has been scrappy of late, it has been more because of their pitching than hitting. They have the third-lowest average and fourth-fewest home runs in the league. They usually string together hits or steal bases to get their guys in scoring position in order to mount rallies. That's not the kind of offense that scares me against LG in a game that will be played in a pitcher's park.
Warwick Saupold (HAN)
$9.5K DraftKings, $22 FanDuel
I usually don't pick pitchers on teams that I feel confident will lose but that should tell you everything you need to know about the pitching on this slate. Exactly half of the starting pitchers going tonight have thrown less than double-digit innings on the season. That's just not a recipe I can get behind with any regularity (more on that below).
Saupold is not likely to get the win against Kiwoom, but I feel confident in him pitching a solid game. He has a 2.65 ERA and 1.15 WHIP on the season, giving up 33 hits in 34 innings but only striking out 17. He's danced around trouble in all of his starts this year, but he also limited both NC and LG to three runs in six innings, so getting a quality start out of him against Kiwoom seems likely.
My personal preference is to pair Yang and Kelly in cash games and GPPs or maybe pair Yang with one of the options below in GPP-only if you're feeling risky.
Other Options:
- Sung Young Choi (NC) - NC let us down last night, but they are still the best team in the league. Choi only went 3.2 IP in his first start, but he threw 60 pitches, which makes me think he could be stretched out to 80-90 for this start. Last year he had a 3.94 ERA in 83.2 IP, which included 15 starts. What you're hoping for here is 5 good innings and a win behind a strong lineup.
- Yoon Dong Heo (SAM) - This wouldn't be my choice, but if you really needed salary relief, he's the best dart throw, in my opinion. He went five scoreless against Lotte, but he walked a lot of dudes and pitched out of bases-loaded jams twice. I wasn't impressed with what I watched, but he threw 97 pitches, so he's stretched out and is a LHP going against an LG team whose best hitters are left-handed. I don't love it, but I can see it. Maybe. If I squint.
KBO Top Hitter Stacks
I think this slate is pretty straightforward when it comes to the offenses, and you'll see quickly that there is one game that really stands out here. I wouldn't get cute and fade it, but you can use your one-off players wisely to differentiate your lineups.
Doosan Bears
The Bears are on the road, which is always a good start since their home park saps power. They are also the favorites in a game that has an O/U of 13! A team that is third in the league in home runs, third in runs, and third in RBI is the favorite in a likely shoot out against a starting pitcher who has a 7.06 ERA and 1.66 WHIP in three starts.
This isn't one bad start killing ratios either. Hyeong Jun So gave up five runs on nine hits and two HR in five IP against Kia, eight runs on nine hits in 5.1 IP against Hanwha, and five runs on nine hits over 6.1 IP against Samsung in his last three starts. Doosan has a perfect mix of high-priced bats and salary relief options, so I will be using them in both GPP and Cash lineups. I'd recommend doing the same
Main Targets:
- Jose Fernandez - 1B/2B (6.2K DraftKings, $18 FanDuel) - Fernandez is the highest priced bat on the slate but he also has hits in 13 of his last 15 games, including two hits in each of his last three. He's hitting .465 with five home runs and a 1.203 OPS and bats at the top of the order for a team that is projected to go off.
- Jae Il Oh - 1B (3.6K DraftKings, $16 FanDuel) - Oh returned from injury, has hits in three straight games and his price has not been adjusted on DraftKings. Jump all over this. He was 4-5 with an RBI and two R last night and is hitting .377 with three HRs and a 1.050 OPS on the season. He's the three-hole hitter for the offense projected to score the most runs on the slate.
- Jae Hwan Kim - 1B/OF (5.5K DraftKings, $17 FanDuel) Came back from a minor foot injury to go 2-5 with a HR and two RBI. He's a LHH in the heart of the lineup with five home runs and a .874 OPS on the season.
- Kyoung Min Hur - 3B (2.6K DraftKings, $8 FanDuel) - He's been one of my favorite salary relief options all season. Has a .292 career batting average and .311 this year. He has only two home runs, so he's not a major power threat, but he's riding a five-game hitting streak and provides great salary relief.
Secondary Targets:
- Jae Ho Kim - SS (2.4K DraftKings, $9 FanDuel) - Kim has been empty batting average so far this season, but that batting average is .342 and he usually hits sixth in this order. If the offense is going off tonight, having the six-hole hitter in your lineup isn't an awful idea with this bottom-priced salary
- Soo Bin Jung - OF (2.3K DraftKings, $7 FanDuel) - Nothing special here, but he's in the lineup pretty much every day, especially against right-handed pitching and even hit leadoff last game. He's not going to hit home runs or steal many bases, but you're hoping for a few hits in the middle of rallies to get some R and RBI.
- Kun Woo Park - OF (3.6K DraftKings, $12 FanDuel) - Park hasn't done much this year, so this is only about riding the hot bat as he has gone 5-8 over his last two starts.
KT Wiz
I told you that one game stands out on the slate. Whatever advantage Doosan has playing in KT against a mediocre arm, they give right back. Doosan will run out Yong Chan Lee, who has an 8.72 ERA and 1.75 WHIP across 21.2 IP this year. He doesn't miss bats, with only a 5.2 K/9 and has given up five home runs already, the most of any pitcher on tonight's slate. What's more, Doosan has one of the worst bullpens in the league, so if the Wiz chase Lee from the game, it might only get better.
As an offense, the Wiz are ferocious. They own the best batting average in the league (.001 point ahead of Doosan), the second-most hits in the league, and the second-most home runs. They may be 4-6 in their last 10 games, but they've scored 20 runs across their last two games and are likely to get back Han-Joon Yoo, who pinch-hit yesterday after missing every game since May 16th. He may be 38-years-old but he's also hit over .300 every season since 2014 and was hitting .293 with two home runs in 11 games before getting hurt.
Main Targets:
- Mel Rojas Jr. - OF (6.1K DraftKings, $15 FanDuel) - Rojas is one of the best power-hitters in the KBO point-blank. He's hitting .408 with seven home runs and a 1.168 OPS and is riding a seven-game hitting streak. You want him in your lineup.
- Jeong Dae Bae - OF (2.4K DraftKings, $8 FanDuel) - I'm still not sure why Bae is priced so low. He hits near the top of the KT lineup, has hits in 14 of his last 15 games, and is 11-26 over his last six games.
- Sung Woo Jang - C (3.2K DraftKings, $10 FanDuel) - There are some other attractive catchers on the slate, but Jang is a solid bet. He hits RHP just as well as LHP and has a .296 average with three home runs on the season.
- Woo Jun Sim - SS (3.1K DraftKings, $10, FanDuel) - Sim hits leadoff, and this figures to be a shoot-out. That's all you really need to know. He also has two hits in each of his last two games and is tied for the KBO lead in steals with six. Not a sexy option, but good salary relief)
Secondary Targets:
- Han Joon Yoo - OF (4K DraftKings, $14 FanDuel) - This is only because we're not sure how much he's going to give. He's 38 and was just activated. Does he start? Is he truly 100%? If so, the value is there on DraftKings.
- Kyung Soo Park - 2B (3.6K DraftKings, $9 FanDuel) - Park has been hitting fifth for the Wiz with Yoo out and has compiled a .288 average with three home runs and a .834 OPS. He hasn't been hitting the ball well of late, but he will be in the heart of the lineup in a high-scoring game.
- Yong Ho Jo - OF (2.6K DraftKings, $8 FanDuel) - Make sure he's in the lineup because he's not a consistent starter, but he's gone 3-8 in the last two starts and has seven hits in his last six starts. Meanwhile, Min Hyeok Kim has really struggled.
NC Dinos
I'm never going to tell you NOT to stack the best team in the KBO. They have been cold lately (except for their massive 18-run output on May 30th, but their bats could explode at any point. They're also facing a pitcher who has only made one start; although, it was a solid effort against Doosan.
This could actually be the perfect time to go back to NC. The Doosan/KT showdown is getting all of the press, and many people will likely be off NC after feeling like they've been burned in two of the last three slates. I won't fade KT/Doosan fully, but I'm likely to have a few NC bats in my lineups tonight because the talent is simply too good to ignore and I think I can get sneaky differentiation that way.
Main Targets:
- Sung Bum Na
- Eui Ji Yang
- Jin Sung Kang
Secondary Targets:
- Suk Min Park (he pinch-hit yesterday but had been out for three games, so check the lineup)
- Jin Hyuk No
- Min Woo Park
- Aaron Altherr
Intriguing One-Offs for Lineups
- Jamie Romak (SK) - NC is throwing a young LHP and SK has been hot of late. Romak might not be a bad hedge against the top-ranked team
- ByungHo Park (KIW) - Saupold may be solid for Hanwha, but their bullpen has been garbage. Park has started to get a little hot of late and went 2-3 with two BB a HR and three RBI last night.
- Yong Kyu Lee (HAN) - Kiwoom will be basically be employing a bullpen game. Bullpens in the KBO aren't generally all that good. Hanwha doesn't have a great offense, but Lee is hitting .304 and has five hits in his last four games.
Good luck in your DFS contests everyone. Be sure to stop back every day for some more KBO DFS analysis here at RotoBaller!
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