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Korean Baseball (KBO) DFS Picks: Top DraftKings Targets, Values for July 3

Greg Ehrenberg gives his top studs and value picks for Friday morning’s Korean Baseball (KBO) slate on DraftKings, which locks at 5:30 a.m. ET.

Oakland Athletics v Chicago White Sox

With the MLB regular season still a few weeks away, 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 Friday morning, the action gets underway at 5:30 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 DraftKings lineups here: KBO $40K Relay Throw [$10K to 1st] (Korean Baseball)


PITCHER

Stud

Erik Jokisch, KIW at KTW, $9,700 - One of the most consistent pitchers in the KBO, Jokisch has a 1.42 ERA and has scored at least 13 DKFP in nine of his 10 starts. Given how much volatility we have from pitching, it’s hard to get away from the safety that the Heroes’ ace gives us at the position. Not only does he have safety, Jokisch also brings some upside to the table. He’s averaging 28.8 DKFP in his last two starts.

Value

Jung Hyun Baek, SAM vs. LG, $6,000 - Of the pitchers priced under $7,000, Baek is the only one worth consideration. He averages 12.5 DKFP, which is about the same as the players priced in the $8,000 range. Baek has been a very high-variance pitcher, making him more of a GPP target than somebody to look in cash games. Over his last six starts, Baek has three outings scoring over 20 DKFP and three outings scoring under 10 DKFP. Tournaments will likely be won or lost depending on how Baek pitches. Most likely, he will either be great or terrible.


CATCHER

Stud

Eu Ji Yang, NCD vs. KIA, $6,000 - Yang is starting to get going at the plate again. After a bit of a cold spell, he’s on a five-game hitting streak and is averaging 14 DKFP in his last two games. Averaging 9.1 DKFP per game, Yang has easily been the top catching play for DFS throughout the season. The question is whether or not to pay his lofty price tag. For Friday, I think he’s worth the price.

Value

Ji Young Lee, KIW at KTW, $2,100 - It is rare we can find a cheap catcher with upside. In Lee, I think we have a bit of opportunity to punt the position and not have to take a goose egg in our lineup. After a game with 15 DKFP, Lee is averaging 13.3 DKFP in his last three games and he costs almost nothing to roster. As an added bonus, he’s going against Odrisamer Despaigne ($8,100), who has a 4.64 ERA.


FIRST BASE

Stud

ByungHo Park, KIW at KTW, $4,500 - Was Thursday finally the breakthrough game for the former Twins’ slugger? Park has been a bit of a disappointment this year due to an elevated strikeout rate. This has led to him having just a 109 wRC+ after putting up a 160 wRC+ in the KBO last year. On Thursday, he had a game without a strikeout for the first time in about a week and launched a pair of homers. We know the power is there and hopefully he’s going to start making contact more often after his display on Thursday.

Value

Dae Ho Lee, LOT vs. SK, $4,000 - Until Lee’s price goes up a bit, I think we have to consider him one of the stronger plays at first base. A longtime veteran of the KBO, Lee is playing in his 14th season in Korea despite spending a part of his career in the MLB with the Mariners. After all this time, Lee is still a feared hitter. He has a 138 wRC+ this season and is currently on an eight-game hitting streak.


SECOND BASE

Stud

Jose Fernandez, DOO vs. HAN, $6,100 - Despite going hitless last night, Fernandez still reached base a couple of times and scored a run. Over the last week, he’s arguably been the hottest hitter in the league with multiple hits in six of his last nine games. This included a 5-5 performance with 34 DKFP on Wednesday. Going up a starter in Bum Soo Kim ($6,500) who has scored double-digit DKFP just once all season, Fernandez is in line for another big game.

Value

Hoon Jung, LOT vs. SK, $3,700 - I am not sure what this guy has to do for a salary bump. Behind Fernandez, Jung is the second best fantasy producer at second base, putting up 9.2 DKFP per game. Also, it’s not as if he’s had some recent struggles that justify his price going down. Jung is riding a six-game hitting streak and has at least 13 DKFP in three straight games.


THIRD BASE

Stud

Jae Gyun Hwang, KTW vs. KIW, $4,600 - Even though Hwang has only hit five homers this season, this doesn’t mean he lacks power upside. Three of those homers have come in the last five games. Hwang has been in and out of the lineup due to various injuries, leading me to believe that he hasn’t always been 100% even when on the field. If this has been the case and he’s now healthy, this would explain the recent uptick in power numbers.

Value

Kyoung Min Hur, DOO at HAN, $3,500 - Per dollar, Han has been the best DFS target at third base this season. Despite a recent uptick in salary, he still appears to be underpriced. Hur averages 8.4 DKFP, which is tied for the second most of any active player at third base. He gets a nice bump in counting stats from hitting in the middle of the potent Bears’ lineup.


SHORTSTOP

Stud

Ha Seong Kim, KIW at KTW, $5,100 - Kim’s salary continues to plummet. Two weeks ago, he was priced over $6,000, and all he’s done is rake as his price has dipped by $1,000. Kim has scored at least 12 DKFP in seven of his last nine games, so it looks like his cost should be raising instead of dropping. There are few players in the KBO that possess his combination of power and speed.

Value

Ji Hwan Oh, LG at SAM, $3,600 - Oh doesn’t bring much upside to the table, although he is a safe play at a cheap price. If you don’t want to pay up for Kim, there isn’t a player at shortstop more likely to reach base on Friday than the Twins’ middle infielder. He has a hit in 17 of his last 18 games, bring his DKFP output up to 7.4 per game.


OUTFIELD

Stud

Mel Rojas Jr., KTW vs. KIW, $5,900 - I am a bit conflicted here. Jokisch is the best pitcher on the slate, but at the same time, it’s been nearly impossible for anybody to keep Rojas off the stat sheet. He’s scored at least 14 DKFP in six of his last seven games and leads the KBO with 18 homers. Perhaps the matchup will limit his ownership and he will be able to hit a solo homer as Jokisch cruises through the rest of the order.

Value

Ah Seop Son, LOT vs. SK, $3,900 - Son is raking as of late. Even though he doesn’t hit many homers, he manages to find the gap for extra base hits and has scored at least 14 DKFP in three of his last four games. Overall, he has a hit in 11 of his last 12 games, and his 9.2 DKFP average suggests he should be priced a bit higher.


Set your DraftKings lineups here: KBO $40K Relay Throw [$10K to 1st] (Korean Baseball)


I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is gehrenberg) 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.