Putting the bow on a second week of the KBO and the standings seem to be taking shape. Of course, trying to predict some of the outcomes due to the volatility of the bullpens in the 10-team league can be difficult. Before delving into Sunday’s data, some prayers for Lotte Giants pitcher Seung-hun Lee:

 

No matter where baseball’s played, head injuries remain scary. Speaking to the high leverage hijinks which litter the landscape of the KBO, Hanwha’s bullpen blew a 4-1 lead in the late innings costing Min-woo Kim a win but won in even stranger fashion:

 

With a second week in the books, injuries seem to be on the rise:

 

Also, import Taylor Motter of the Kiwoom Heroes received a demotion to clear his head and deal with some personal issues. Without taking any sides, Motter’s struggling in his debut in the KBO hitting a paltry .111/.143/.222 over his first eight contests spanning 27 at-bats. As for the personal side of things, transitioning to a new culture and country can be difficult: 

 

Not sure how any of this will play out, but hopefully for Motter, his wife and Kiwoom, things improve going forward once her quarantine entering the country expires. Sunday’s slate featured some strong outings by pitchers with plenty of quality starts and an outburst of runs by the NC Dinos en route to its 10th win in 11 games this season. Here’s the players of note from Sunday’s action. 

Starting Pitcher Spotlight

Doosan’s Raul Alcantara shined on Sunday recording nine strikeouts over seven innings giving up five hits, one earned run and zero walks for his second win in three decisions. Alcantara can be tough to predict but through 18 innings this year owns a 4.00 ERA, 16:2 K:BB and 1.39 WHIP with two quality starts in three turns. 

Min-woo Kim of Hanwha deserved a better fate. He tossed seven innings allowing two hits, one earned run and three walks with six strikeouts. Kim left the game with a 4-1 lead which his bullpen blew in the late innings. As for Kim, he’s notched two quality starts this year with a 1.96 ERA, 19:7 K:BB and tidy 0.71 WHIP through 18.1 innings of work. 

Kiwoom’s Eric Jokisch earned his second win of 2020 with six shutout innings on an efficient 72 pitches yielding two hits and one walk with three strikeouts. Jokisch owns an 0.83 ERA and 0.71 WHIP through three starts covering 17 innings. He’s also recorded 14 strikeouts against two walks anchoring the Heroes staff so far. 

Odrisamer Despaigne garnered his first win in the KBO working six innings giving up five hits, two runs (one earned) and a walk with four strikeouts. Although his strikeout total disappointed DFS players, Despaigne’s 2.65 ERA, 18:2 K:BB and 1.00 WHIP through 17 innings with the KT Wiz keeps him on the radar going forward. 

Beneficiary of the NC Dinos 11 runs, Drew Rucinski nabbed his second win this year working six innings allowing eight hits, two earned runs and one walk with two strikeouts. Rucinski continues to yield too many hits lacking a put away pitch. This will need to be noted going forward since this caps his upside in DFS contests. 

Hitter Highlights

NC Dinos

  • Min-woo Park (2B) - Went 2-for-4 with two runs and his first home run of the season. 

  • Aaron Altherr (OF) - Launched his second home run among his two hits in five at-bats with a double and two RBI. If Altherr stays healthy and continues to adapt to the KBO, he could be a difference maker for the Dinos quest to play deep into the playoffs. 

  • Sung-Bum Na (OF) - Crushed his fourth home run going 2-for-3 with three runs, an RBI and walked twice. 

  • Eui-ji Yang (C) - Yet to really breakout this year, Yang reached base on three walks with a run scored and an RBI despite an 0-for-2 day at the dish. 

  • Jin-sung Yang (1B) - Hit his third home run and walked finishing with four RBI on Sunday. 

KT Wiz 

  • Baek-ho Kang (1B) - Young slugger Kang cracked his fourth home run driving in three runs and walked in four plate appearances. Kang’s slashing a robust .333/.392/.756 at the age of 20 in the KBO while ranking fifth in slugging percentage. 

Kiwoom Heroes

  • Keon-chang Seo (2B) - Tallied three hits in four at-bats with two runs, his second home run, three RBI and walked. 

  • Ha-seong Kim (SS) - Also notched three hits over his six at-bats with a run, double and three RBI. 

  • Jung-hoo Lee (OF) - One of the unluckiest hitters so far in the KBO, Lee went 3-for-5 with a double, his third home run and two RBI. If his average and power migrates towards his career BABIP, Lee could heat up in week three. 

  • Dong-wan Park (C) - Aptly named Dong-wan hit his second home run with an RBI on Sunday. 

Doosan Bears

No surprise hit machine Jose Miguel Fernandez recorded another multi-hit contest:

https://twitter.com/kbocollections/status/1261932544783572994?s=20

Fernandez went 2-for-5 with a run and a double with his league leading average falling to .479 with two hits, Through 11 games, Fernandez leads the KBO in hits (23), on-base percentage (.519) along with being tied for the lead in runs (12) and ranks third in on-base plus slugging percentage (1.248). His teammates also chipped in during a win over the Kia Tigers: 

  • Jae-il Oh (1B) - Went 2-for-5 with a double and three RBI. Oh sits fifth in OPS (1.174) in the KBO. 

  • Kyoung-min Hur (3B) - Notched a perfect 4-for-4 contest with a run, double and an RBI. 

Kia Tigers

At some point, pitchers will work around Preston Tucker if his team cannot protect him in the lineup, but he moved into a tie for the KBO league in home runs on Sunday:

 

Tucker’s hitting a robust .444/.510/.911 over 45 plate appearances ranking second in average, first in RBI (20), first in OPS, tied for first in home runs and second in on-base percentage. Pretty, pretty good. 

Lotte Giants

  • Jun-woo Jeon (OF) - A constant boom or bust target in DFS, Jeon went 1-for-5 with his fourth home run driving in two. He also struck out four times. 

  • Dixon Machado (SS) - Launched his fourth home run, a solo shot, among his five at-bats. 

  • Dong-hae Han (3B) - Also hit a solo home run in Lotte’s loss, his first of the season. 

SK Wyverns 

  • Jamie Romak (1B) - While DFS players await a power outburst from Romak, he went 2-for-4 with a run, an RBI and a walk on Sunday. 

  • Jeong Choi (3B) - Signs of life from the KBO’s “Miggy Cabrera”. Choi recorded two hits in five at-bats including a double and two RBI. SK needs these two hitters to heat up in the weeks ahead. 

Check back on Monday for a weekly recap of what’s transpired in the KBO along with an eye on the games on tap. Best of luck to those playing the NASCAR slate on Sunday with a live race. Odds on this getting huge ratings? Check out all the great work by Matt Selz and Dan Malin then make a few lineups to make watching the live event interesting. And as always, be sure to stay with Fantasy Alarm to remain ahead of the competition. 

 

Statistical Credts

myKBOstats.com

eng.koreabaseball.co