RADIO
Welcome back, RotoBallers, to another KBO DFS column. If you haven't signed up for the RotoBaller Premium Slack chat, it's a great space to chat during the day about the lineups. You can also follow me and the other Rotoballer writers on Twitter. In particular, @efhatch1990dfs has his personal KBO DFS Cheat Sheets which you will now be able to find on RotoBaller.
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. 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 Friday, July 17, 2020. You can check our daily KBO Betting Picks as well, which Steve usually posts around 8 PM.
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!
KBO DFS Pitchers
NOTE: For those who are used to playing MLB DFS on DraftKings, the typical MLB cash game strategy of loading up on two high-powered arms for safety tends to be less successful since the quality of pitching in the KBO is inferior to the MLB. There are rarely two pitchers on a KBO slate who we feel extremely confident in for fantasy purposes and even where there is, like tonight, the value tends to be in saving money for hitters.
On DraftKings, we've found that taking the lowest-salaried SP2 from the options you're legitimately considering will often cost you around 6-8 total points in your lineup but saves you almost $2,000 that you can spend up on bats who will more than make up that difference.
Mike Wright (NC)
$9.5K DraftKings, $30 FanDuel
Despite some solid stats, Mike Wright is a flawed pitcher. Yes, he comes into the game with a 6-2 record and a 3.92 ERA; however, he also has a 1.43 WHIP and only five quality starts in his 12 outings. His 51 strikeouts in 64.1 innings aren't bad, but 30 walks to go along with it isn't great, and the seven home runs he's served up are a little bit of a concern since he'll be facing the KT Wiz who are second in the KBO with 72 home runs on the season. What Wright has going for him is the Wiz's inconsistent nature and their love of striking out as they're currently second-worst in the league with 464 strikeouts, three off the illustrious lead. He also seems to have them figured out since he's thrown 11 innings against them in two starts this year, allowing one earned run in each start while giving up only 10 total hits. He did strike out only eight batters against six walks in those 11 innings, so he hasn't exactly been flawless. Perhaps the third time is the charm for the Wiz and they find a way to get to Wright; however, I'd be more inclined to guess that the American puts together a "fine" but not great line. Only, that doesn't really entice me at his cost.
Chan-Gyu Lim (LG)
$8.2K DraftKings, $25 FanDuel
I've never been big on Lim, but he's my choice for the top starter on tonight's slate. He comes into this game with a 4.47 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP and has been hit hard in his past two starts against NC and Samsung, but the competition is obviously going to be much worse here. Hanwha has the worst batting average in the league at .242 and is last in the league with only 35 home runs all season, so they are highly unlikely to do damage against Lim with one swing, especially at Jamsil which, as we've covered many times, is the best pitcher's park in the league. They also strikeout the fourth-most in the league with 441, which makes Lim extra enticing since he's recorded 57 strikeouts in 58.1 innings this season, easily the best K-rate of any pitcher on the slate. Playing against Hanwha gives almost any pitcher a solid floor, pitching at Jamsil gives Lim some extra cushion against a blow-up, and Hanwha's propensity for strikeouts gives Lim a ceiling that is unlikely to be matched by any other arm on the slate. Combine all that with a likely win bonus and over a thousand dollars in savings from Wright and you get the top fantasy option on the slate.
Seung-ho Lee (KIW)
$7.0K DraftKings, $24 FanDuel
Lee's stats make you cringe when you look at them. A 5.90 ERA? A 1.52 WHIP? Why would anybody be recommending this guy? Well, I believe the global view of his numbers is a bit misleading. For one, he's a 21-year-old pitcher who is going to be a bit inconsistent as he gains experience. Secondly, his last two match-ups were potentially the worst he could have had as a left-handed pitcher: Kia and KT, both at their home stadiums. Those are the top two offenses in the league at home, and KT is the best offense in the league against left-handed pitching, which was doubly bad for Lee. Hence the 12 ER on 13 hits he allowed in six combined innings. However, before that, he had been impressive against solid competition. In his previous four starts, he had thrown 24 innings, allowing 24 hits and three total earned runs (a 1.13 ERA) while striking out 15 and walking two. Those starts were also against Doosan, LG, Lotte, and NC so he didn't have cake match-ups. He now faces an SK team that has the third-worst batting average against lefties at .253 while also striking out the second-most in the league against southpaws. I can't see them really tagging Lee for more than a small handful of runs at home. He's my choice for SP2 on Draftkings since we like to pay down for that.
Other Options
- Aaron Brooks (Kia) - 9.8K DraftKings, $28 FanDuel - Brooks is one of the best pitchers in the KBO with a 2.52 ERA and 1.13 WHIP. He also has 66 strikeouts in 75 innings while walking only 14. It's just so hard to roster him as the highest-priced arm on the slate when he takes on a Doosan team that has the fewest strikeouts in the KBO and leads the league in road offense with a .321 average, 44 HRs, and 226 RBI (35 more than the second-best team). Brooks may well hold them down a little, but I can't see him shutting them out completely, and I'd need that at his price.
- Chae-Hyung Choi (SAM) - 7.8K DraftKings, $26 FanDuel - Lotte has the worst batting average in the league against left-handed pitching at .222. Choi himself bested them back on May 26th when he went seven shutout innings striking out five and giving up only three hits. Choi has a decent strikeout rate (42 in 53.2 innings), but Lotte has the second-fewest strikeouts in the league and is still middle of the pack in that regard against left-handed pitchers, so they're not going to give him fantasy points. Choi strikes me as a solid-floor SP2 and would be my choice if you were paying up, which, again, I don't advise.
- Jun Won Seo (LOT) - 6.5K DraftKings, $25 FanDuel - The 19-year-old right-hander has struggled of late, allowing three or more earned runs in three straight games which led to a 6.00 ERA over than span. However, he was proving himself to be a safe, if unspectacular, option before this recent skid. Samsung has been hot but doesn't hit many home runs and has the most strikeouts in the league in the month of July, so it's possible that Seo could put up double-digit points on DraftKings at a near basement price. I certainly wouldn't go lower if I was going to pay down for my SP2.
KBO Top Hitter Stacks
NOTE: It's important to remember, as mentioned above, that KBO DFS has played out differently than MLB DFS. It impacts the hitters by limiting the depth of the stacks we recommend. Since many KBO lineups are not as deep as MLB lineups, you can get away with playing three-man stacks in almost all builds. Obviously, going up to four-men stacks in GPP is fine, but going above that is not really recommended in KBO. This means that a 3/3/2 stack becomes playable in GPP (especially if you stack a game) and 3/2/2/1 is completely feasible in a cash game lineup and allows you to get strong individual batters without having to worry about loading up on his teammates.
NC Dinos
Listen, I know the Dinos are cold, with only a .272 batting average in the month of July (good for 7th in the league) but this is a match-up that simply too good to ignore. Hyeong-Jun So comes into the game with a 6.23 ERA and 1.54 WHIP and has a poor 24:15 K:BB ratio across 52 innings. If he isn't going to strike batters out, and he's going to give free passes, then he's exactly the type of arm that the Dinos could unload on. Remember that, despite their struggles in July, they still lead in the league in home runs, both in the month and over the season as a whole. They also hit .305 at home as opposed to .278 on the road, which could make for even more fireworks tonight.
Main Targets:
- Eui Ji Yang - C (5.6K DraftKings, $12 FanDuel) - Yang remains the top fantasy catcher in the KBO and showed why last night, going 2-2 with a HR and 3 RBI. He's hit .314 in July with 2 HR, 10 RBI and 8 R which makes him a strong option if you're going to pay up, something that is more palatable now that his price has gone down.
- Aaron Altherr - OF (6.0K DraftKings, $17 FanDuel) - With Sung-Bum Na injured, Altherr has cemented his spot in the middle of the batting order, which has allowed him to lead the team in both RBI and runs in the month of July with 12 each. He also leads the team with 3 HR this month and has 16 on the season, so he could be a prime-slate breaking choice.
- Jin-Hyuk No - SS (4.5K DraftKings, $9 FanDuel) - It took No a little bit of time to regain his comfort-level after an earlier trip to the IL, but he has been swinging a hot bat of late, hitting three HRs in his last six games while batting .286 in July. Considering the dearth of options at SS, No should be on your radar tonight.
Secondary Targets:
- Suk Min Park - 2B (4.5K DraftKings, $10 FanDuel) - Park is admittedly not overly alluring, but there are few good 2B options for DraftKings. The 35-year-old is hitting .318 this month, which is second on the team behind the injured Na. He hits 6th in the Dinos order, which is why he has 9 RBI this month and could lead to a double-digit night against a mediocre arm.
- Min-Woo Park - 2B (5.1K DraftKings, $12 FanDuel) - The left-handed hitting Park has been batting third for the Dinos since Na has been out, which could lead to increased fantasy value if they can mount a few rallies. He's not a power hitter, but he's hitting .303 on the season, which could lead to some RBI opportunities tonight.
- Sung-Wook Kim - OF (2.4K DraftKings, $7 FanDuel) - This is more of a deep shot, so make sure Kim is in the lineup, but he started five in a row before sitting out last night and went 9-for-20 in those starts with 2 HR and 6 RBI. He's hit .321 for the month of July and has also stolen 5 bases this month, which could make him a dynamic option at a low cost if he's in the lineup.
Kiwoom Heroes
Joo-han Kim has made four starts for the Wyverns, and his transition to that role hasn't exactly been going well. After starting out fine against Kia and LG, he has been hit hard, allowing eight earned runs on 13 hits in 9.2 innings against Hanwha and Lotte. Part of the reason I believe this recent two-game stretch is more indicative of who he is as a pitcher is because Kim doesn't miss bats; he was simply lucky that nothing fell in against Kia and LG. Over his 20.2 innings this year, he has five strikeouts and 10 walks. That is not a recipe for success against a Kiwoom team that has the third-most home runs in the league and whose only consistent weakness is that they strike out more than any other team in the league. If Kim can't take advantage of that, then it could be a long game for him, especially since he faces Kiwoom on the road where they've hit .276 with 41 HR and 166 RBI this season as opposed to .266 with 29 HRs and 162 RBI at home.
- Jung-Ho Lee (KIW) - OF (5.0K DraftKings, $15 FanDuel) - Lee has been Kiwoom's best and most fantasy-relevant hitter. He's hitting .357 on the year with 10 HR, 45 RBI, and averaging 10.2 points per game on DraftKings. In July, he's hit .309 with 3 HR and 10 RBI and seems to be showing that the power display this year is here to stay. This is a great matchup for him since he has only struck out 5 times all month and is likely to put the ball in play consistently against an inferior pitcher.
- Ha Seong Kim (KIW) - SS (6.2K DraftKings, $16 FanDuel) - If you pay up at shortstop tonight, Kim is the way to go. He's been on a roll since coming back from injury and has hit .308 this month with 4 HR and a team-leading 16 RBI and 13 R. He contributes in all kinds of ways for the Heroes and could put up another massive line tonight.
- Keon-Chang Seo (KIW) - 1B/2B (5.0K DraftKings, $12 FanDuel) - Seo has become one of the better DraftKings options at 2B, only now he is being priced to reflect that. He's hitting .327 in the month of July with a team-leading 4 SBs and is tied with Kim for the team lead in runs. If Kiwoom gets to Kim tonight, which I think they will, Seo should be in the middle of things.
- Byung-ho Park - 1B (4.9K DraftKings, $13 FanDuel) - You roster Park for his power, but the batting average has slowly been coming along. Despite hitting only .230 on the year, the Heroes' home run leader is hitting .277 in July with a team-leading 5 HRs to go along with 14 RBI. As usual, he is the best bet for a HR tonight.
Secondary Targets:
- Ji-Young Lee - C (2.7K DraftKings, $6 FanDuel) - If you want to go bargain hunting at catcher on DraftKings, Lee is your man. Now that Park will be out for a few games, Lee becomes the Heroes' starting catcher. He's hit .328 on the year and .395 in the month of July, so he should be able to hit value in a plus match-up.
- Byung-Woo Jeon - 2B/3B (2.6K DraftKings, $6 FanDuel) - Jeon is another great budget option on the Heroes. He hits better on the road and has hit .341 in July. He hits at the bottom of the lineup and only has 3 HR on the year, so you're not getting a lot of counting stats, but he's gone 6-for-12 over his last three games and should be locked into the lineup at a budget price.
LG Twins
LG is at home, which is not generally recommended, but they are essentially getting a bullpen game against Hanwha and that is something we have to target. Jin-Wook Kim is 20-years-old and has only made five total KBO appearances across the last three years. This year, he allowed two runs on five hits and two home runs in 4.1 innings against SK. That has me intrigued as he goes into battle against a few dangerous left-handed batters on the Twins.
Main Targets:
- Roberto Ramos - 1B (4.9K DraftKings, $15 FanDuel) - Ramos is hitting only .260 in July, but you roster him for slate-breaking power. He has 16 HRs on the year, 11 versus right-handers, and three in the month of July, so he's as good a bet as any to go deep tonight, despite playing at home, where he has hit only 5 HR so far.
- Hyun-Soo Kim - OF (4.6K DraftKings, $16 FanDuel) - Kim enjoyed the final games in the Lotte series, going 4-8 with a HR and 6 RBI, so he comes into this game feeling good. He's hit .314 with 6 HRs in the month of July and has proven to be able to drive the ball out of Jamsil, so he should be on your radar tonight.
- Kang-Nam Yoo - C (4.6K DraftKings, $10 FanDuel) - With Don-Wan Park injured, there are very few playable catcher options. Yoo has cooled a little in July with a .261 average and only one HR, but he has six hits in his last two games, including going 4-5 with 2 RBI last night, which shows the upside he provides at a shallow position.
Secondary Targets:
- Chun-Woong Lee - OF (2.9K DraftKings, $9 FanDuel) - Lee is a low-priced option that provides great value for tonight. He hits leadoff for the Twins, batting .286 in July, and is second of the team with 9 runs scored over that time. He doesn't need to do much to return value at his cost, which makes him a great salary-saving option.
- Ji-hwan Oh - SS (3.5K DraftKings, $9 FanDuel) - Oh hits second in the Twins lineup and is coming in with a 5-game hitting streak and a .286 average in July with 2 HR, and 9 runs scored. He hits second in the Twins lineup, so he, like Lee, could be a solid low-cost option in a game where LG figures to score runs in bunches.
Small Stacks
As I mentioned above, small stacks in KBO DFS are more about picking and choosing your bats to fill out your lineup. You don't need to worry so much about having three or so from a particular team, so I'll give you a few names I think you should consider for tonight.
- Jose Fernandez (Doo) - 1B/2B (5.7 DraftKings, $17 FanDuel) - Fernandez is a GPP-only option since he's going up against one of the league's best pitchers in Brooks. However, Fernandez also hits .399 with 8 HRs and 28 RBI on the road, so he could be a strong contrarian play if you want to bet against Brooks.
- Jae-Il Oh (Doo) - 1B (4.4K DraftKings, $14 FanDuel) - Oh is here for the same contrarian reasons that Fernandez is. The left-hander hits .434 with 3 HR and 13 RBI on the road against right-handed pitching, so he's a GPP-only option if you want to hedge against Brooks.
- Seung Taek Han (Kia) - C (3.8K DraftKings, $6 FanDuel) - Kia hits much better as a team at home, and they will go up against a suspect Doosan arm in left-hander Hui-Kwan Yu. The Tigers don't hit lefties extremely well, but Han has a .333 batting average against them and comes in on a three-game hitting streak after going 2-3 in his last start. If he is in the lineup, he could be a solid low salary catcher option.
- Preston Tucker (Kia) - OF (5.9K DraftKings, $17 FanDuel) - Tucker has five HRs this season against left-handed pitching, and he just went yard last night in the loss to Samsung. As a streaky hitter in a plus match-up, he could easily put another ball over the fence tomorrow.
- Jamie Romak (SK) - 1B/OF (4.7K DraftKings, $13 FanDuel) - SK doesn't have enough bats to make them interesting tonight, and we already covered that I think Seung-ho Lee will bounce back, but Romak could be a solid one-off if you don't play Lee. He hits .341 with 3 HR against left-handed pitching, so perhaps he makes one count tonight. He's 1-for-16 in his last four games and hasn't had a multi-hit game since July 4th, so maybe he's due?
- Jeong Choi (SK) - 3B/SS (5.4K DraftKings, $14 FanDuel) - Romak's teammate is back and healthy, going 9-for-20 since coming back from a pelvis injury and hitting home runs in two of his last three games. He is swinging a hot bat, and is priced up because of it, but is also hitting just .167 against left-handed pitching this year, so he might not be as enticing as the recent stats suggest.
Good luck with your DFS contests everyone. Be sure to stop back every day for more KBO DFS analysis here at RotoBaller!
More Fantasy Baseball Analysis
