KBO DFS Playbook - May 19

Published: May 19, 2020

Pitchers
Pos	Player	Team	Opp. Pitcher	DK Sal.
SP	Won Tae Choi	KIW	R. Pinto	$9,500
With Kiwoom opening as a -186 favorite, Choi takes the mound without a win so far in 2020 but the owner of a 2.92 ERA, 2.36 FIP, and 1.22 WHIP with 10 strikeouts against two walks in 12.2 innings over two starts. Benefiting Choi in this match-up, SK Wyverns team strikeout rate of 21 percent (KBO league average 17.9%) and an offense struggling to score runs. Choi's best suited for cash games at his price point but appears in line for his first win of the year.
SP	William Cuevas	KTW	S. Jang	$7,500
Targeting pitchers in the KBO remains a slippery slope. Cuevas faces a struggling Hanwha offense at home. Hanwha owns a team slugging percentage of .338, lowest in the KBO along with an 18.9 strikeout percentage. Although Cuevas sports a 5.73 ERA, his 9:2 K:BB provides hope he will pound the strike zone on Tuesday morning generating swings and misses with a chance at a quality start plus the chance for a win (-180 favorite). Cuevas flashed signs of promise against the Dinos limiting them to four hits and one earned run with four strikeouts on the road.
SP	Chang Gyu Lim	LG	D. Buchanon	$6,900
For the risk-averse, Lim makes for an intriguing GPP target. He recorded a strong debut last week with seven strikeouts, no walks, and one earned run in a win over SK. Lim's 1.16 FIP accompanies his 1.50 ERA and 0.83 WHIP through his first six innings of 2020. Not sure if Lim will remain consistent all season, but this matchup in Samsung could yield a quality start. Samsung's striking out 19.2 percent of their at-bats with a team .343 slugging rate. Just know Samsung's home park leans to the hitters if the wind's blowing out.
SP	Mike Wright	NCD	Y. Lee	$9,000
Wright's price point of $9K hints at strikeout upside in a league founded on making contact. He's notched 11 strikeouts against three walks over his first two starts with a 2.45 but a 4.95 FIP. Those targeting Wright hope his ERA does not migrate towards his FIP in this outing with the Dinos a slight favorite (-125) against the defending champs. Doosan can be beaten by good pitching, but Wright will need to limit hard hits on the road to succeed. Bake this in when rostering him.
SP	Min Woo Lee	KIA	J. Seo	$7,200
Another tournament play would be a contrarian one since this game owns the highest over/under on the evening of 10.5 runs. Plus, Lotte's favored. But, Lee's 5.91 ERA pairs with a 3.30 FIP and if his team breaks out of its slump, Lee could benefit. Lotte's starter Jun Won Seo owns a 4.09 ERA through 11 innings with five walks versus four strikeouts.
Pos	Player	Team	Opp. Pitcher	DK Sal.
SP	Ricardo Pinto	SK	W. Choi	$7,700
Like a box of chocolates, one never knows what a Pinto start will yield. But, if feeling contrarian in a GPP, Pinto could be worth his current price with very low ownership. His first start against Hanwha resulted in 19.4 DK points with three strikeouts and one earned run allowed. This represents his ceiling in this matchup with Kiwoom showing signs of life with nine runs on Sunday. Tread lightly.
SP	David Buchanon	SAM	C. Lim	$7,300
Buchanon's pitching well for Samsung with a 3.46 ERA, 3.65 FIP, and 0.77 WHIP over his first two starts spanning 13 innings. His 10:2 K:BB rate also causes intrigue. If Buchanon can overcome the lack of run support by his squad, he could pay off handsomely on this slate given his price. Buchanon racked up 34 DK points on the road in Kiwoom his last time out. Could be cash game gold since he may not win, but pitch well enough to deserve one.


Hitters
Pos	Player	Team	Opp. Pitcher	DK Sal.
C	Eui Ji Yang	NCD	Y. Lee (R)	$4,900
Yang did not record a hit in Sunday's run explosion but drew three walks. He carries a .294/.385/.441 slash into this contest and hit more than 20 home runs in each of the two previous seasons. Saying Yang's due for a dinger seems obvious but if he's in the lineup on Tuesday, it's time for him to go yabbo.
C	Tae Goon Kim	NCD	Y. Lee (R)	$2,000
If needing a pivot for Yang, his teammate Kim's three-for-his-last six with three RBI and 25 DK points his last two starts. It's possible the Dinos break out of their low scoring funk facing Baek on getaway day.
C	Dong Won Park	KIW	R. Pinto (R)	$4,000
Park's hit safely in his last three games and homered his last start on Saturday. With a .281/.324/.531 slash through his first 35 plate appearances, Park makes for an intriguing pivot in GPP's on Tuesday's slate.
C	Sung Woo Jang	KTW	S. Jang (R)	$3,300
If looking to save money at catcher, Jang's slashing .324/.351/.559 with two doubles, two home runs and 12 RBI over his first 38 plate appearances. Pretty, pretty good.
1B	Dae Ho Lee	LOT	M. Lee (R)	$4,500
Targeting hitters in the highest game total makes sense but Lee at first base may get overlooked. He's hitting .372 with five doubles and a home run in 2020 reaching base in over 40 percent of his plate appearances.
1B/2B	Jae Il Oh	DOO	M. Wright (R)	$4,200
If fading Jose Miguel Fernandez and his escalating price point, his teammate Oh could pay off. Oh's hitting .404 with a 1.174 OPS while scoring 10 or more DK points in seven of his last eight contests.
1B/2B	Jose Miguel Fernandez	DOO	M. Wright (R)	$6,100
Paying a return on his price could be difficult for Fernandez. But, he leads the KBO in batting average (.479) with multiple hits in eight of his 11 games this season. Wright could serve up a gopher ball to Fernandez but correction looms for the crafty hitter making him a risky play on this slate.
2B	Min Woo Park	NCD	Y. Lee (R)	$4,100
Park launched his first home run on Sunday among his two hits scoring 19 points and his price, dropped? Batting leadoff for the Dinos in a match-up with the defending champs may scare folks off but Park's on a nine-game hit streak armed with a .432/.479/.636 slash.
1B/2B	Keon Chang Seo	KIW	R. Pinto (R)	$2,500
Low priced multi-eligible players help form lineups in DFS slates. Seo's recorded at least one hit his last seven games going 9-for-22 (.409) with a home run in two of his last three. Even if Pinto pitches well, the SK bullpen can be leaky. Seo will be an intriguing upside play with the potential to pay off handsomely.
Pos	Player	Team	Opp. Pitcher	DK Sal.
2B/3B	Yoon Ho Hwang	KIA	J. Seo (R)	$4,300
Scuffled on Sunday so if he burned owners, Hwang could be worth a double down play on Tuesday. Hwang enters this matchup with a .280 average but tallied three hits on Saturday with two doubles. Given his team's potential to score runs on Tuesday, Hwang may be worth a shot.
2B/SS	Dixon Machado	LOT	M. Lee (R)	$5,600
It's been boom or bust for Machado of late but he's hit four home runs with a .275/.362/.625 slash playing in a game with an over/under of 10.5 runs. If the Giants score in bunches, Machado should be involved.
3B	Jae Gyun Hwang	KTW	S. Jang (R)	$4,700
Carries a three-game hit streak into this match-up with 11 DK points in all three contests. Not much upside, but a safe play at the hot corner.
1B/OF	Baek Ho Kang	KTW	S. Jang (R)	$5,800
One of the KBO's most talented youngsters, at age 20, Kang's hitting a robust .333/.392/.756 with 10 of his 15 hits resulting in extra-bases (5-2B, 3B, 4-HR). Facing a pitcher from Hanwha with a 1.92 WHIP, Kang may add to his home run total on Tuesday.
OF	Mel Rojas Jr.	KTW	S. Jang (R)	$6,200
Coming off a poor performance on Sunday going hitless in four at-bats, Rojas Jr.'s price moved up? Part of this could be a result of his match-up plus his .426/.460/.660 slash with five doubles and two home runs. Yes, more power would be nice but at this price, he's a GPP play only.
OF	Preston Tucker	KIA	J. Seo (R)	$5,900
Somehow cheaper than Rojas despite tying for the KBO lead in home runs launching his fifth. Tucker also leads the KBO in RBI (20) and OPS (1.421). Baseballs look like beachballs to the scorching hot Tucker making him a terrific play even at this price.
OF	Ah Seop Son	LOT	M. Lee (R)	$3,400
Son's lack of power (1 HR) overshadows his .405 average over his first 49 plate appearances. If Lotte can generate offense against Kim on the road, Son will be involved. He's recorded 10 walks versus three strikeouts resulting in an on-base percentage over 50 percent making him a nice play in cash contests.
OF	Jun Woo Jeon	LOT	M. Lee (R)	$4,300
One the other hand, Son's teammate Jeon represents the GPP upside power hitter who could make or break a lineup. Jeon's blasted four home runs with a .320 average and .986 OPS this season.
OF	Sung Bun Na	NCD	Y. Lee (R)	$4,100
On my headstone it may read, here lies Greg, he trusted Na too often. Another player due for a big night with his present production not matching his potential. If the Dinos roll, Na could jack one over the fence. This was written on Sunday and Na obliged with his fourth home run during his 3-for-3 day. Could he be heating up? It's not too expensive to find out.
OF	Aaron Altherr	NCD	Y. Lee (R)	$5,700
If loading up on the Dinos in a contrarian stack, Altherr notched a double and a home run on Sunday. He's been playing through injury and may just be getting healthy. It's a risky venture at the price, so Altherr's makes for GPP folly only.
OF	Jung Hoo Lee	KIW	R. Pinto (R)	$4,100
Maybe the play of the day. Lee's heating up again with six hits his last 13 at-bats including three doubles and a home run his last three games. On the year, Lee's slashing .372/.449/.721, mercy.
1B	Byung Ho Park	KIW	R. Pinto (R)	$4,900
If Pinto implodes on the road, Park may break out of his power funk with a big fly. Park's a GPP only play with very low ownership. Not for the faint of heart but saying he's due would be akin to a 10-month pregnancy.

Stacks

Team Stacks
1	KIA	Tigers		Opp. Pitcher	Jun Won Seo
Mini-Stack	Preston Tucker	Hyoung Woo Choi	Yoon Ho Hwang
Kia's game with Lotte owns the highest run total on the slate. As long as Lotte does not walk Tucker in every at-bat, he and the teammates behind him could pay off in a small stack.
2	KTW	Wiz		Opp. Pitcher	Shi Hwan Jang
Stack	Yong Ho Jo	Baek Ho Kang	Mel Rojas Jr.	Jae Gyun Hwang	Sung Woo Jang
Going a bit off the reservation, the Wiz could be a contrarian play. Their opponent's been tough with a 3.75 ERA this year but his 1.92 WHIP could lead to the Wiz scoring well at home.
3	KIW	Heroes		Opp. Pitcher	Ricardo Pinto
Stack	Keon Chang Seo	Jung Hoo Lee	Byung Ho Park	Dong Won Park
Another game off the beaten path, Pinto can pitch well or blowup. If Kiwoom enjoys home cooking and Lee breaks out a big stick in this contest, Kiwoom could overwhelm the tired SK Wyverns bullpen.
4	NCD	Dinos		Opp. Pitcher	Young Ha Lee
Stack	Min Woo Park	Aaron Altherr	Sung Bum Na	Eui Ji Yang
Trusting in a team with a mascot called "Swole Daddy" pays off when being a bandwagon fan. But, NC looks to take it to the defending champion Doosan Bears on their turf. Doosan counters with a pitcher walking more hitters than he's struck out with a 4.82 FIP. Sneaky stack on the slate but with risk.