It appears the weather will not be headlining the news before lineup lock at 1 a.m. EST Sunday morning. Our fans on the west coast can be wide awake in comparison with lock on Draft Kings at 10 p.m. Saturday evening. No matter where you reside, unless it’s New York or Iowa where KBO DFS remains unavailable, today’s targets will be covered so enjoy the write-up. Readers can hit me up on Twitter @gjewett9 or in the KBO chat later this evening on Fantasy Alarm.
Different strokes for different folks, today’s slate will be covered by game with an eye on the DFS prize.
Hanwha Eagles (2-3) at Kiwoom Heroes (4-1)
In a game with two imports on the mound, this could be a lower scoring affair. Hanwha sends Warwick Saupold ($9.1K on DK) to the bump coming off a complete game shutout on Opening Day. Saupold owns a 0.33 WHIP with two strikeouts versus one walk but with the boost in price and lack of strikeouts represents risk in this slate. Kiwoom counters with Jake Brigham ($8.5K on DK). Brigham only tossed three innings his first outing yielding two hits and two walks with two strikeouts allowing no earned runs. Brigham could reach five innings but needs efficiency. Since these two starters could offset each other, they do not rank highly in this slate.
Hanwha Hitter of note:
Kwang Min Song ($3K on DK) 2B/3B - Song enters Sunday’s contest hitting .474/.524/.895 with two home runs and four RBI his first 21 plate appearances.
Kiwoom HItters of note:
Byung Ho Park ($5K on DK) 1B - A known commodity to MLB fans, Park led the KBO in home runs last year and he’s hit two already through his first 21 plate appearances with a .933 on-base plus slugging percentage.
Jung Hoo Lee ($4.6K on DK) OF - Lee’s also launched two home runs this season with a robust .467/.600/1.067 slash line with six RBI.
Kia Tigers (1-4) at Samsung Lions (2-3)
It’s been a rough visit to Samsung so far for Kia losing two games by a combined 17 runs (19-2). Hyun Jong Yang ($9.5K on DK) takes the mound for the Tigers. Kia hopes he rebounds towards his 2019 form when Yang went 16-8 with a 2.29 ERA and 163 strikeouts in 184.2 innings. His first outing did not go well with Yang only lasting three innings giving up four earned runs on four hits and two walks. At this price, Yang’s a tournament play only.
Samsung sends Jung Hyun Baek ($6.5K on DK) to the bump, another southpaw. Baek also owns a less than optimal ERA (6.00) this season but went six innings his first outing with five strikeouts against one walk. Same deal as Yang, use Baek in tournaments and if the Lions stay hot at the plate, he could garner the win.
Kia Hitters of note:
Yong Hwan Baek ($3.2K on DK) C - Potentially some Baek on Baek crime in Samsung. Baek the catcher owns a .429 average with a 1.429 slugging percentage with two home runs in seven plate appearances so far. If he’s in the lineup, he’s a cheap catcher with upside.
Sun Bin Kim ($3.4K on DK) SS - Kim enters this contest with more walks (6) than strikeouts (3) and a .400/.571/.600 slash line in 21 plate appearances.
Hyung Woo Choi ($5.8K on DK) - Choi’s a high priced tournament target. So far he’s slashing .350/.381/.600 with a home run and three RBI.
Samsung Hitters of note:
Tyler Saladino ($4K on DK) 3B/SS - Coming off a hitless night may keep ownership off Saladino but he also hit a double and a home run on Friday. Facing the southpaw may be the salvo Saladino needs to pay off on Sunday’s slate.
Dong Yeop Kim ($2.5K on DK) OF - Presently slashing .333/.364/.571 with a home run and four RBI this year for the Lions.
KT Wiz (1-3) at Doosan Bears (2-2)
Lining up Doosan batters could be worthwhile so could using Yong Chan Lee ($8.7K on DK) as a pitcher in cash games. Lee turned in 14 quality starts last year with a 7-10 record and a 4.07 ERA but with only 102 strikeouts in them. His lack of strikeouts caps upside in a tournament lineup, especially at his price. Opposing Lee, Min Kim of the Wiz. Kim went 6-12 last year with a 4.96 ERA and 1.59 WHIP allowing 16 home runs. With Doosan heavy favorites, they will be a popular stack.
Doosan Hitters of note:
Jose Miguel Fernandez ($5.2K on DK) 1B/2B - An interesting wrinkle with hit machine Fernandez capable of being used at first or second base. He’s hitting .562 with a .688 slugging percentage. However, he launches his first home run of the year Sunday. Book it.
Jae Ho Kim ($2.6K on DK) SS - Owns back-to-back double digit games on Draft Kings but not priced as such. Kim’s hitting .500/.533/.871 with a double and three RBI this season.
Jae-il Oh ($3.8K on DK) - 1B - Oh’s .912 on-base plus slugging percentage over his first 17 plate appearances adds to his appeal. Another player due for a dinger on Sunday.
Jae Hwan Kim ($4.5K on DK) OF - Off to a strong start armed with a 1.088 on-base plus slugging, a double and a home run his first four contests.
KT Wiz Hitters of note:
Sung Woo Jang ($3K on DK) C - Racked up three hits his last start, hitting .308/.357/.385 with four RBI so far in 2020.
Kyung Soo Park ($3.3K on DK) 2B - If needed, Park provides salary relief with a home run and five RBI while hitting .286 through 17 plate appearances.
Mel Rojas Jr. ($5.2K on DK) OF - Tough to ignore this import on this slate. Rojas Jr. enters this match-up with a ridiculous .562/.611/1.000 slash line with an extra-base hit in each of his last three games.
LG Twins (1-3) at NC Dinos (4-0)
Courtesy of the rainout, the over/under adjusted to 9.5 runs on Fanduel plus the Twins get to put Casey Kelley ($8K on DK) into action after missing the opening series due to quarantine rules. Kelley went 14-12 last year in the KBO with a 2.55 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 126:41 K:BB over 180.1 innings of work. Part of his success lied in depressing home runs yielding only seven last season. There’s no report on how long Kelley will work in this contest clouding his price tag along with the low strikeout total.
Opposing him for the Dinos, Young Gyu Kim ($4K on DK) makes for a very intriguing dart in tournament play. Kim only made 10 starts of his 30 appearances last season but past results never tell the full story. During his last start of 2019, Kim fired a seven hit shutout striking out eight. Due to the potential volatility, Kim’s best left for GPP’s but if the Dinos remain undefeated may pay off for the risk averse.
LG Twins Hitters of note:
Min Sung Kim ($3.7K on DK) 3B - Over 16 plate appearances, Kim’s hitting .286/.375/.429 with five RBI.
Both Hyun Son Kim (.375/.412/.625) and Roberto Ramos (.438/.471/.562) may be worthy tournament plays but hit left-handed and if the Dinos Kim throws well, these two prove risky in this slate.
NC Dinos Hitters of note:
Eui Ji Yang ($5K on DK) C - Although the power’s not been there yet for Yang, he’s slashing .312/.389/.438 with two doubles in 18 plate appearances.
Jin Hyu No ($3.4K on DK) - 2B/3B - Another multi-eligible player of interest, No’s amassed 49 DK points the last three games and his 1.233 on-base plus slugging percentage should not be ignored.
Min Woo Park ($4.1K on DK) 2B - Back-to-back 19 point results during Park’s last two games at a position of need for upside in any slate with KBO teams.
Myung Gi Lee ($3.8K on DK) OF - Hitting a robust .417/.533/.750 with a home run and three RBI in 12 at-bats so far.
Sung Bum Na ($3.9K on DK) OF - An under the radar play since Na’s returning from a knee injury last year and off to a slow start. If he pops on Sunday, profits could be mined as a low owned dart.
SK Wyverns (1-3) at Lotte Giants (4-0)
Saturday’s postponement lets the Giants sit their fifth starter and get Dan Straily ($6.7K on DK) back on the mound. Straily did not win his debut but whiffed four batters during 5.2 innings while issuing three walks. Versus the Wyverns, Straily could be in line for a win plus 5-to-7 strikeouts making him a bargain at his price point. The SK Wyverns counter with Tae Hoon Kim ($6.8K on DK) on Sunday. Kim’s only logged four starts among his career 132 KBO appearances the last two years.
SK Wyverns Hitters of note:
Jamie Romak ($5.7K on DK) 1B/OF - Romak’s a power bat in the KBO and hitting .312/.353/.500 but without his usual pop. There’s a chance Straily pitches well and wins but coughs up a dinger or two.
Dong Min Han ($4K on DK) OF - Han leads the KBO with three home runs and presently hitting .467/.500/1.133 for the Wyverns.
Lotte Giants Hitters of note:
Jun Woo Jeon ($3.9K on DK) OF - A pretty low price tag for a hitter on a team projected to win. Jeon’s hit two doubles and two home runs this season with an enticing .368 average and .789 slugging percentage through 19 plate appearances.
Dixon Machado ($4.7K on DK) 2B/SS - Machado not only plays stellar defense, he’s crushing the ball in the KBO with a .400/.471/.800 line, two home runs, six RBI and swiped a base. Facing a southpaw makes him almost a must play in this match-up.
Dae Ho Lee ($3.9K on DK) 1B - Lee could be in line for a repeat of his two extra-base hits contest from Friday when he notched 25 points for savvy DFS players.
Hoon Jung ($2.8K on DK) 2B - If paying up for two starters, Jung at second base with a .357/.471/.714 slash, two doubles and a home run so far makes for a worthy low priced power bat.
In deference to James Grande, the Orion’s Belt portion looks at Doosan and Lotte as the two most likely teams to stack with the Kia Tigers being below the radar for GPP’s.
With lineups posted around 11 p.m. EST, I will be in the chat to update any questions along with more information in regards to the weather. Best of luck and be sure to stay with Fantasy Alarm to remain ahead of the competition.
Statistical Credits
myKBOstats.com
Fangraphs.com
Fan Duel
Draft Kings