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With the MLB season still delayed, we don’t have to wait any longer for some professional baseball and – most importantly – baseball DFS. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) is underway and DraftKings is welcoming the KBO into the fold with contests for big prizes. On Thursday morning, the action gets underway at 2:00 a.m. ET.
What do we know about the league? Who should we be putting into lineups? Let’s figure out all this together, position-by-position.
Set your lineups here: KBO $50K Relay Throw [$10K to 1st] (Korean Baseball)
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What to know about the KBO
PITCHER
Stud
Dan Straily, LOT vs. KIA, $9,500 – While we’re technically getting the same four pitching matchups on this slate that we would have seen on Wednesday, there are a few small changes. Most notably, Straily’s price has jumped $300 and he’s leap-frogged Mike Wright ($9,000) as Thursday’s most expensive positional option. Don’t worry, he’s still worth the salary. The RHP has exceeded 24.0 DKFP in four of his past five outings and he currently leads all qualified SP in K/9 (10.0). Add that to a sterling 2.75 FIP and it’s hard to find a reason why Straily isn’t the best and most trustworthy arm taking the hill.
Value
Jong Hoon Park, SK vs. DOO, $7,800 – The matchup is awful, but Park is the lone pitcher with any upside below $8K on this four-game slate. It’s also not as if he hasn’t shown the ability to thrive in tough spots. In fact, Park registered a season-high 28.0 DKFP against this very same Bears lineup back on May 26, allowing just two hits across seven innings of work. Additionally, the RHP is in possession of the KBO’s fourth-highest strikeout rate (25.3%), so Park doesn’t need to be perfect to be viable.
CATCHER
Stud
Eui Ji Yang, NCD at KTW, $6,100 – Yang is so, so expensive, but this is truly a perfect spot to use the backstop. The RHB returned from a multi-game absence on Tuesday due to an illness and proceeded to smack his seventh home of the season. That long ball was also Yang’s fourth extra-base hit in his past four starts, so you know his bat is starting to heat up. With Je Seong Bae ($6,600) and his 5.09 FIP on the mound for the Wiz, I’ll be trying to find the salary for Yang in a few builds.
Value
Kang Nam Yoo, LG vs. KIW, $4,200 – Day or night, rain or shine, always use Yoo against a left-handed pitcher. The catcher is 12-for-22 (.545) with three doubles and three home runs versus LHPs in 2020, essentially making him a steal at this mid-tier price point. Plus, the southpaw in question is Seung Ho Lee ($6,200), who owns an ugly 5.25 FIP so far this season. Rain helped Lee avoid Yoo on Wednesday, he won’t be so lucky on Thursday.
FIRST BASE
Stud
Jin Sung Kang, NCD at KTW, $4,900 – Of the 68 qualified hitters in the KBO, Kang continues to lead the league in many major statistical categories, including batting average (.407), OPS (1.185), wOBA (.503) and wRC+ (202). Sure, regression is probably coming for the 26-year-old at some point, but I doubt it’s Thursday afternoon against KT’s awful pitching staff.
Value
Joo Hwan Choi, DOO at SK, $2,600 – You’re not going to be using Choi and the aforementioned Park in the same build; however, for lineups that don’t feature SK’s starter, Choi is his usual viable self. The veteran is riding a nine-game hitting streak coming into Thursday’s action and, specific to his last six starts, Choi’s exceeded 20.0 DKFP three times. More than that, it’s simply insane that someone who ranks 12th in the league in ISO (.243) is consistently this inexpensive. Take advantage.
SECOND BASE
Stud
Dixon Machado, LOT vs. KIA, $4,700 – Machado has been on absolute fire the past week or so, following a horrendous stretch at the dish that saw his batting average dip down towards the Mendoza Line. In the import’s past seven games, he’s registered 13 hits, six runs and a pair of stolen bases; while Machado’s also managed to score at least 8.0 DKFP each and every night within that stretch. I’d expect the good times to keep rolling with Min Woo Lee ($7,300) on the mound for the Tigers, as the RHP has conceded 15 earned runs over his last 15 innings.
Value
Hoon Jung, LOT vs. KIA, $3,700 – Jung’s been good in his limited sample this season, posting a .370 wOBA over his first 61 plate appearances. The veteran should also be back in the Giants’ starting lineup on Thursday after getting two days off to begin the week. Plus, with the aforementioned Machado carrying shortstop eligibility, you can fit both Lotte infielders into a single build if you’re looking to stack against the scuffling Lee.
THIRD BASE
Stud
Jeong Choi, SK vs. DOO, $5,100 – Choi is clearly out of his early-season slump, as the veteran has posted a .317 average and a .603 slugging percentage so far in the month of June. That last part is the most important, as Choi’s hit five home runs after managing just two back in May. With Hui Kwan Yu ($6,700) – a contact-oriented southpaw – taking the hill for Game 1 of Doosan’s double-header on Thursday, it’s hard to think of a better situation to pay up for the 34-year-old.
Value
Kyoung Min Hur, DOO at SK, $2,300 – This is another play that’s counter-productive to owning Park, yet Hur returned from a three-week stay on the IL on Tuesday and he was thrown immediately into the fire. The third baseman hit leadoff in the Bears’ eventual victory, with Kun Woo Park ($3,500) moving down in the lineup to the three-spot. It remains to be seen if Hur will be given that opportunity again; however, that level of plate appearance volume this close to the minimum is enticing.
SHORTSTOP
Stud
Ha Seong Kim, KIW at LG, $5,000 – It’s understandable to want to limit your exposure to Kiwoom’s lineup on Thursday; especially considering how consistently Tyler Wilson ($8,200) has pitched since his disastrous 2020 debut. Still, that doesn’t mean you can’t take a chance within the matchup with an elite bat like Kim’s. The 24-year-old has registered a .605 slugging percentage and four home runs in his past 10 games, a span where Kim’s surpassed the 14.0 DKFP plateau on five occasions. With his salary down $1K since last week, Kim’s almost a value at $5K.
Value
Ji Hwan Oh, LG vs. KIW, $3,100 – The left-on-left matchup isn’t exactly ideal, yet Oh’s been so good at the dish lately that I’m not really sure it matters. The shortstop is slashing .389/.439/.472 across his past 36 at-bats, which, when combined with his league-leading nine stolen bases, is quite the fantasy profile for an asset priced just above $3K.
OUTFIELD
Stud
Sung Bum Na, NCD at KTW, $6,300 – I’m just having a hard time seeing how the combination of Kim and the Wiz’s bullpen is supposed to keep Na from having a productive Thursday afternoon. Coming into this slate, KT actually owns a team ERA of 5.84, a figure certainly not helped by the fact that their scheduled starter has surrendered 18 earned runs in his last 21.2 innings of work. I’d look for Na, who currently owns a .993 OPS, to have a big performance.
Value
Myung Gi Lee, NCD at KTW, $3,700 – Finally, a cost-effective member of a Dinos stack. Lee doesn’t possess a lot of pop in his bat, yet he does primarily hit in the two-spot for NC, a role’s he’s earned with a robust .406 OBP. Sure, his ceiling isn’t the highest with the potential to hit a home run; however, even without that ability, Lee’s managed to exceed 14.0 DKFP five times in his past 10 starts. Not bad at all.
Set your lineups here: KBO $50K Relay Throw [$10K to 1st] (Korean Baseball)
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is theglt13) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.