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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 Wednesday, July 8, 2020. You can check our daily KBO Betting Picks as well, which Steve usually posts around 8 PM.
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KBO DFS Pitchers
NOTE: For those who are used to playing MLB DFS on DraftKings, since the quality of pitching in the KBO is inferior to the MLB, the typical MLB cash game strategy of loading up on two high-powered arms for safety tends to be less successful. There are rarely two pitchers on a KBO slate who we feel extremely confident in for fantasy purposes. For example, last night Ki-Young Im was the clear #2 option behind Chang-Mo Koo and appeared to be a young arm on the rise. He got you 1 point for $8.2K on DraftKings. Meanwhile, Je-Seong Bae, who had HR issues and was going up against the best offense in the league at home scored 26.1 points for $6.6K.
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.
Dan Straily (LOT)
$8.6K DraftKings, $29 FanDuel
After a slow transition to the KBO, Straily has emerged as one of the best pitchers in the league. He comes into this start with a 2.53 ERA and 1.06 WHIP while notching 71 strikeouts in 67.2 innings. He's hit a little rough patch in his last two starts against a hot Samsung team and the league-leading NC Dinos, but Straily has allowed more than two runs only twice in his eleven KBO starts. It means he has a relatively safe fantasy floor, which you want from your SP1 given the volatility of pitching in the KBO.
He will now get a Hanwha team that is hitting .252 over the last 30 days, good for second-worst in the league, and has only 12 HRs over that span, last in the league by a considerable margin. Hanwha is also last in the league with a .236 batting average against right-handed pitching and their 175 strikeouts over the last 30 games is fourth-worst in the league. All of the above means that Straily has slate-leading upside potential to go with his safe floor. That makes him the clear top starting pitching option on the slate for me.
Warwick Saupold (HAN)
$9.7K DraftKings, $26 FanDuel
Saupold is another pitcher with a relatively safe floor. He had a rough outing on the road against Kia, where the Tigers lead the league in batting average, but he had been solid coming into that start, allowing four earned runs in 18.1 innings against KT, Doosan, and NC while striking out 17 and walking only one. All of that encapsulates his safe floor and is why he has quality starts in eight of his 12 starts. However, his lack of strikeouts - 43 in 69.2 innings - puts a cap on his fantasy upside, and Lotte has the fewest strikeouts in the league so that's double bad news on that front. Saupold also gives up a .352 average to right-handed hitters on the year, which gives me some pause, even though it comes with an inflated .347 BABIP. Saupold is a better pitcher at home (3.38 ERA in five starts), so I think he'll be solid if unspectacular tomorrow. As I mentioned before, I'm just not paying up for my SP2 in KBO anymore.
Tae-In Won (SAM)
$7.7K DraftKings, $26 FanDuel
Part of the reason Samsung has begun to turn things around is because of their pitching and Won has been a major part of that. The right-hander has been really solid this season, apart from allowing six runs to Kia at home (where they crush). He comes into this game with a 2.97 ERA and 1.34 WHIP to go along with six quality starts in 10 starts. The 20-year-old is one of the top prospects in the KBO and has allowed more than two earned runs only twice so far this season. In fact, if you take away the aforementioned Kia game, he's allowed seven combined earned runs in his last eight starts! He's not a high strikeout arm right now and has battled some control issues this year with a 33:21 K:BB ratio, so he doesn't have tremendous upside, especially against a dangerous Kiwoom lineup, but he's priced down enough to be considered as an SP2 in DraftKings.
Odrisamer Despaigne (KTW)
$8.1K DraftKings, $22 FanDuel
If you want to swing for the fences with your SP option and don't want to pay up for Straily (or just want to be different), Despaigne may be the way to go. The right-hander has been inconsistent in his first season in the KBO, registering a 4.32 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP across his 12 starts. However, he has also struck out 56 batters in 73 innings, including striking out seven Kiwoom hitters in seven innings his last time out. He also dominated Kia the last time they played, throwing eight shutout innings with seven strikeouts. Despaigne recently talked to the Wiz staff and convinced them that he'd like to pitch on four-days rest, the MLB norm. He has recorded a 2.94 ERA in those situations this year, which suggests it might be working. The concern for him is the long ball. He's given up HRs in five straight games and six of his last seven. Now he faces a Kia team that lead the league in home batting average and has quite a few left-handed power bats. He's too risky and high-salaried to be an SP2 option, but if you're feeling frisky, you can run him out there as your SP1.
Other Options
- Casey Kelly (LG)- 9.3K DraftKings, $24 FanDuel - Kelly has been relatively mediocre on the season despite showing flashes of the pitcher who finished with a 2.55 ERA and 1.14 WHIP last season. In his last start, against Doosan, Kelly allowed three earned runs over seven innings while striking out seven and walking one. He'll face the Bears in a pitcher's park, which will help contain any possible offensive explosion, but I can't see paying this price for him. I guess really he's on here to say, don't do it.
- Jong-gi Park (Doo) - 7.2K DraftKings, $24 FanDuel - Park is another potential SP2 since we're paying down on DraftKings. He's making his sixth start as a converted reliever and did well in his first start against LG, going six shutout innings. he's right-handed but has fared better against left-handed pitchers thus far, and LG's best bats are mainly left-handed. He doesn't have a long track record but pitching in a pitcher's park should limit the damage against him and could make him a salary-saver SP2 option.
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.
Samsung Lions
Samsung is third in the KBO with a .294 average over the last 30 days. Their 22 HRs are relatively middle of the pack, so don't expect one swing to change your slate, but they have 137 RBI over that span, which is second-most in the league, so there are opportunities for them to score some points. What's more, they're going to be facing Sung-Hyun Moon who hasn't started since 2015, which was really the last year he pitched at all, considering he only threw one inning in 2018. He's been effective for Kiwoom out of the bullpen, but he hasn't thrown more than 36 pitches this season, so I wouldn't expect him to go more than two innings. That means this is another bullpen game for a Kiwoom bullpen that is the best in the league but threw seven innings last night and six innings on Sunday. They are likely gassed and no bullpen in the KBO, no matter how good, is deep enough to withstand that type of workload.
Main Targets:
- Sang-Su Kim- 2B/3B (4.9K DraftKings, $8 FanDuel) - Kim is perhaps the Lions' most dynamic overall player. He leads the team (among regulars) with a .333 average on the season to go along with 36 R and 7 SBs. He doesn't pack a lot of power, but he put up 15 DraftKings points last night by going 3-5 with 2 R and 1 RBI, which is a pretty standard outing for him.
- Hak Ju Lee - SS (4.5K DraftKings, $7 FanDuel) - The left-handed hitter has been a solid contributor for the Lions over the season but has really heated up over the last 30 games, hitting .348 with 2 HR and 12 RBI. That obviously shows that he's not a major power source, but he plays a position that is very thin on DraftKings and hits in the middle of the order with a hot bat.
- Ja Wook Koo- 1B/OF (4.5K DraftKings, $10 FanDuel) - Koo is the Lions best power source. He leads the team with six HRs despite being injured earlier in the year and playing fewer games than most of the regulars. His five HRs and 20 RBI over the last 30 days lead the team and make him a great option for tomorrow.
Secondary Targets:
- Won-Seok Lee- 3B (3.8K DraftKings, $8 FanDuel) - Lee is another mild power source for the Lions, with five HRs on the year, but he's hit only one over the last 30 days to go along with a .300 average and 14 RBI. Solid but not the production he was giving at the beginning of the year.
- Hae-Min Park - OF (2.8K DraftKings, $7 FanDuel) - Park has led the Lions regulars with 23 R and a .376 batting average over the last 30 days. He's added four SBs to the mix and comes at a budget price, which helps make him usable in most builds.
- Min Ho Kang - C (3.6K DraftKings, $7 FanDuel) - You have to roster a catcher in DraftKings, and there isn't really a lot of value to be had at the lower salaries. Kang isn't a great hitter, but he consistently gets on the scoreboard and plays pretty much every game for the Lions, which is rare in the KBO.
KT Wiz
The Wiz are a streaky offense that seem to be getting hot. They're 7-3 in their last 10 games and put up eight runs last night against a solid pitcher. I believe they can run it back tonight against Min-Woo Park, who they exploited for 7 ER on 11 hits in only 3.1 innings. Park has been better at home, but he doesn't strikeout enough batters, the one major weakness KT has, so when the Wiz offense is rolling, he's not the type of arm that can shut them down.
Main Targets:
- Mel Rojas Jr.- OF (6.3K DraftKings, $17 FanDuel) - Rojas is one of the best hitters in the KBO, hitting .370 with 19 HRs and 49 RBI on the season. His power has been on full display over the last 30 days, compiling 10 HRs in that span with a .353 average, 20 RBI, and 24 R. If you're going to pay up for any bat on the slate tonight, he's perhaps my favorite option.
- Baek-ho Kang - 1B/OF (5.4K DraftKings, $16 FanDuel) - Kang is another tremendous source of power with 11 HRs despite having 70 fewer at-bats than Rojas. Since coming back from injury, he's been a fixture in the middle of the Wiz lineup and has hit .319 with 6 HR, 18 RBI, 21 R, and 2 SB over the last 30 games
- Jeong-Dae Bae- OF (3.1K DraftKings, $10 FanDuel) - Bae is often overlooked, which is why his salary stays so confoundingly low, but he produced more value per dollar than most other KT batters. He has five HRs over the last 30 days to go along with a .291 average, 5 SB, and 15 R in that span. Before last night he had nine hits in his last five games, including two HRs, so perhaps yesterday was just a one-game blip.
Secondary Targets:
- Kyung Soo Park- 2B (3.3K DraftKings, $8 FanDuel) - Park is another under-priced option that provides unsexy but solid and consistent contribution for the Wiz. The veteran has 7 HR on the year and 3 in the last 30 days with 14 RBI but only six runs because he hits down in the KT order. He won't win you your slate but he provides a solid floor.
- Jae-Gyun Hwang - 3B (5.3K DraftKings, $11 FanDuel) - I had treated Hwang as an over-priced option for a while, but the two-hole hitter on the Wiz is starting to come around. He's hit .316 with 3 HR, 14 RBI, and 17 R over the last 30 days. He only has five HR on the year but has hit 20 in each of the last four years, so perhaps the power is starting to come around.
- Han-Joon Yoo - OF (3.1K DraftKings, $11 FanDuel) - Yoo is another solid, low-priced option for the Wiz. He's not a fixture in their lineup but has hit .325 over the last 30 days with 4 HR and 16 RBI, so when he's in, he's been productive.
Kia Tigers
Given Despaigne's HR issues, there is a narrative where the Tigers get to him for a few long balls and this becomes a high scoring game. That's why game-stacking KT/Kia is a GPP-option that I am really intrigued by. I don't see Kia hitting Despaigne consistently, so I'd only be focusing on the Kia bats that are salary-savers or likely to go yard.
- Preston Tucker - OF (5.9K DraftKings, $16 FanDuel) - Tucker is a tremendously streaky hitter, but leads the Tigers with 12 HR, including one in the first inning last night. He's got 4 HR with 12 RBI and 13 R over the last month, so if there is any Tiger capable of putting up a bit night, it's him.
- Hyung-woo Choi - 1B/OF (4.9K DraftKings, $13 FanDuel) - Choi is second on the team with 9 HR but has actually been the more consistent hitter recently, batting .338 with 4 HR, 19 RBI, and 10 R over the past 30 days. Hitting 3rd in the order, he'd be my choice for one Kia bat if I was doing a one-off.
- Ji-Wan Na - OF (3.7K DraftKings, $9 FanDuel) - Na comes in at a much lower price but is tied for the team lead with 4 HRs over the last 30 days. He hasn't contributed much else during that time, but last night he was hitting 4th for the Tigers, so he could be in the middle of some big innings if they can get to Despaigne.
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. As such, I'm going to give you some bats I like on a couple of teams because you're likely to mix and match as you want.
- Jose Fernandez (DOO) - 1B/2B (5.8K DraftKings, $17 FanDuel) - Casey Kelly has allowed seven HRs in 10 starts, tied for most on the slate, so playing some HR options against him may not be a bad call. Hitting out of the number two spot in the order, Fernandez is a consistent threat for HR, RBI, and the oft-overlooked runs. He went 4-4 last night with a HR and is always a threat to put up big point totals. He'd be up there with Rojas for my favorite high-priced option on the slate
- Kyoung Min Hur (DOO) - 3B (3.5K DraftKings, $10 FanDuel) - Hur has been on fire recently, getting a hit in six straight games into 10 hits combined in his last three. He's now hitting at the top of the Doosan lineup and plays a position that is void of much talent on DraftKings.
- Joo-Hwan Choi (DOO) - 1B/2B (3.4K DraftKings, $13 FanDuel) - Choi is riding a nine-game hitting streak and went 2-4 last night. He has eight HRs on the season and leads the Bears with three HRs at home.
- Jamie Romak (SK) - 1B/OF (4.4K DraftKings, $13 FanDuel) - Romak is second on SK with 10 HR and gets a solid match-up against Jae-Hak Lee, who has a 5.72 ERA and has hit a real rough patch in his last four starts. Going with a small SK stack could be a nice GPP play.
- Jeong Choi (SK) - 3B/SS (5.2K DraftKings, $14 FanDuel) - Choi left yesterday's game with pelvic soreness after his first at-bat, so check back in before lineups lock. However, he had been relatively hot and in the best all-around hitter on the Wyverns, so he could take advantage of the matchup.
- Suk-Min Park (NC) - 3B (5.0K DraftKings, $10 FanDuel) - On the other side of the match-up, NC faces a solid arm in Geong-wook Lee, which limits their full-stack upside. However, Lee was hit hard the last time he faced NC, so you can't fully turn your back on the best team in the league. If you're going to fit a few bats into your lineup, I like Park. The veteran has been dynamite of late, going 9-for-12 with 2 HR, 7 RBI, and 5 R over his last three games.
- Aaron Altherr (NC) - OF (5.7K DraftKings, $15 FanDuel) - Altherr was quiet last night, but he's been the Dinos' best hitter over the last month and has four HR in his last nine games and 14 on the season. He could pay off with one swing.
Good luck with your DFS contests everyone. Be sure to stop back every day for more KBO DFS analysis here at RotoBaller!
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