Welcome back RotoBallers! Independence Day is tomorrow but tonight's slate provides plenty of fireworks. And if you think the cheap wordplay is going to stop there, we need to get to know each other better. At least I'm in a good mood right now. I was in a bit of a rut this week (stupid rainouts!) but I bounced back last night to make a nice little profit and looking to carry that into the 7/4/20 KBO DFS slate.
I'll be asserting my own independence tonight and will not wake up when mthis slate locks at 5:00 AM on Saturday, July 4, 2020.
Therefore, as always, double check the starting lineups if you can. I will post something if I hear something, so be sure to follow me @MarkStrausberg for my KBO updates, as well as other picks on Twitter if/when I post updates. I don't want to light your short fuse though, so let's get to the slate.
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KBO DFS Pitchers
My suspicion is that Drew Rucinski will be the most popular option tonight. And he should be. 61 Ks and a 2.38 ERA is pretty good. But with a number of other attractive options on the board, I'm bypassing the chalk. I will instead play the match-up game. That means Chris Flexen (DK $8300) and Chan Gyu Lim (DK $8200) will be my top pitchers tonight.
June was not so kind to Flexen, who had a 4.71 ERA for the month. But a new month brings new opportunity for Flexen. Flexen still has 50 K on the season and brings double-digit K upside to the table. He also has yet to give up more than three earned runs in any game this season. That's a great floor and nice ceiling to match. Yes, he took the "L" last time against the NCD, but those Dinos are a far bigger beast than the Eagles that Flexen will take on tonight. Even the founding fathers would avoid these Eagles. They are dead last in both runs and homeruns.
And now they are taking on a pitcher of Flexen's caliber? Flexen does have a pretty nasty four-seamer....
Today's #KBO K leader was Chris Flexen:
6 IP, 2 ER, 7 H, 8 K, 0 BB
Flexen currently has one of the better four-seamers in the KBO (.222 BAA). pic.twitter.com/1lgjKw7avN
— Alex Fast (@AlexFast8) June 23, 2020
Flexen is my top play. And while Flexen comes in with a loss his last time out, Lim comes in on a hot streak. He's got a win and 8 Ks in each of his last two outings. Lim comes in to tonight's game with 50Ks, which puts him in the top dozen. And he should rise up the ranks as he few starts than many of the names ahead of him. His opponent tonight is the Samsung Lions. They have struck out the fourth most times and have the league's third worst batting average. Lim makes for a nice pivot versus some of the more expensive options on the board.
Other starters to consider are:
- The aforementioned and chalky Rucinski
- I like a little more high-strikeout potential from my starters, but Won Tae Choi has posted a strong 3.68 ERA and 1.16 so far this season
- Jun Won Seo is the sneaky contrarian play. He should get the win versus the worst pitcher on the slate, Joo Han Kim, and the SK Wyverns. He's got a respectable 3.88 ERA and if his low salary lets you pick the right bats elsewhere, he could help you take down a GPP.
KBO Top Hitter Stacks
I want to go with some of the contrarian stacks here. I really do. But with five or six strong pitchers going tonight and at least three lousy ones, I am going to stick with the chalk. However, instead of the big bats, I'm going to go with some of the cheaper bats in the those lineups. Of course let's start with the always chalky Doosan Bears
Doosan Bears
You have to like the left-handed power bats of Fernandez and Jae Hwan Kim against the right-handed Min Woo Kim. But I'm going to stick with whom has helped me win lately. And that includes last night's hero Se Hyuk Park....
Man, it’s tough to watch the Hanwha Eagles in the 9th inning.
This time, it’s a WALK-OFF HOME RUN for Park Se-hyuk and the Doosan Bears!#KBO #DoosanBears #HanwhaEagles @MyKBO pic.twitter.com/cBQr1ixBA2
— Connor Newcomb (@ConnorNewcomb_) July 3, 2020
I will also be going with the left-handed Jae Il Oh who has a .417 average over the last ten days and currently sports a 1.040 OPS. The last homer he hit was in June, but I'm going to go bold and say he hits his 7th homer tonight. Kyoung Min Hur continues to be underpriced, especially on DraftKings where you can't bypass third base. He has a hit in every game so far this month and brings a solid floor at a cheap price. Joo Hwan Choi whiffs a little too often, but he has eight HRs so far and has brought his average up by hitting .317 over his last ten games. If you need salary relief, you could do worse than Hae Seong Kook who has hit safely his last three games as well.
#KBO #DFS sleeper of the night: Hae Seong Kook
— Mark Strausberg (@MarkStrausberg) June 23, 2020
Slightly less chalky however are the...
LG Twins
The Twins lineup will be squaring off against Yoon Dong Heo, whose 1.75 WHIP speaks for itself. I'm leaning towards fading Roberto Ramos who is left-handed like Heo, and comes in a little pricey given that fact. Same for former Baltimore Oriole Hyun Soo Kim. Ji Hwan Oh is also left handed, but is coming in hot having gone yard last night. He's seen his DK salary steadily rise lately to $3700, but I will still gladly pay for the shortstop's services.
Regular readers of mine should not be surprised that I will recommend the right-handed Eun Sung Chae to go along with Oh. Chae is a much better buy on DraftKings however where is ridiculously under-priced for his solid .286 average and five homers. If you want to spend up with a catcher, than its hard to go wrong with Kang Nam Yoo who hit another round-tripper last night.
But if you're looking for something a little less chalky, consider the 8th place Lotte Giants who are second to last in homeruns.
Lotte Giants
Of course Dae Ho Lee and Jun Woo Jeon are doing their part, each having gone long nine times already. They will get a chance to reach double digit homers against the worst pitcher on the slate, Joo Han Kim. I like both tonight, but I like Ah Seop Son even more. He's hitting nearly .380 in his last ten games and been a week since he failed to get a hit. Unlike Lee or Jeon, Ah Seop Son is left handed, giving him the advantage against the right handed Kim.
I'd give Dixon Machado some consideration as well. He's hitting .271 but brings four homers and six stolen bases to go with his rising salary. If you're looking for an inexpensive Giant to complete your stack, Chi Hong An makes for a strong affordable compliment.
Other stacks/hitters to consider:
- William Cuevas has only given up two runs in his last two games combined. But his 4.75 ERA and a low strikeout totals show why he is not a top tier pitcher. Against the 2nd place Warriors, that can be dangerous. Ha Seong Kim, Byung Ho Park and Keon Chang Seo are three punishing bats. Add the KBO's best bet at catcher, Dong Won Park, and this could be a very powerful stack.
- On the flip side of that matchup is the always tough bat of Baek Ho Kang ($5200,$16), who is averaging over 11 DKFP per game thanks to his .336 average and 11 HRs. I've said it before, but unfortunately for Kang, he is being overshadowed by Mel Rojas Jr. ($6000, $17), who should be the centerpiece of any KTW stack. He continues to tear the cover off the ball and is still hitting .377 average to accompany his league-leading 18 HR.
Good luck in your KBO DFS lineups tonight!
More Fantasy Baseball Analysis
