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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 Wednesday 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.
PITCHER
Stud
Chang Mo Koo, NCD vs. LOT, $11,000 - Is it a little weird that DraftKings waited until after Koo’s worst outing of 2020 to finally raise his salary to $11K? It sure is. However, one poor performance against a very good KT lineup will not sour my perception of the RHP. Koo still leads all qualified pitchers in the KBO in FIP (2.42) and strikeout rate (29.7%), while he’s also managed to exceed 27.0 DKFP in seven of his nine games. The Giants have been scoring more runs since the return of Hoon Jung ($3,500), but that’s not enough to scare me away.
Value
Seung Won Moon, SK at SAM, $7,700 - Moon has been almost untouchable in the month of June, pitching to a 1.39 ERA and a 28.3% strikeout rate in his past five starts. It’s not like it’s been an easy schedule for the RHP, either. Moon’s come up against and thrived in tough spots versus the Dinos, the Heroes and the Bears within that span. Considering Samsung will be without both Tyler Saladino (back) and Hak Ju Lee (neck) on Wednesday, I’d expect the good times to keep rolling for Moon.
CATCHER
Stud
Dong Won Park, KIW vs. DOO, $5,100 - Park is coming off a huge performance against Doosan on Tuesday, with the backstop registering a pair of doubles and three RBI. None of this is really all that shocking, as Park has been the gold standard at the catcher position all season long. In fact, through 165 plate appearances, Park owns an excellent .402 wOBA to go along with a .259 ISO. He should be able to do some serious damage against Young Ha Lee ($5,600), who’s 1.89 WHIP is the worst qualified mark in Korea.
Value
Tae Goon Kim, NCD vs. LOT, $2,100 - Here’s an incredibly inexpensive way to begin a Dinos stack. With Eui Ji Yang (back) removed from Tuesday’s loss to the Giants, there’s a good chance that it’s Kim behind the plate on Wednesday. While the 30-year-old isn’t nearly as accomplished as his teammate, Kim does own a .914 OPS through his first 58 plate appearances of 2020. If he’s in NC’s lineup, he’s a fantastic value option.
FIRST BASE
Stud
Roberto Ramos, LG vs. KTW, $5,500 - I’m sort of getting the feeling that Ramos is set to explode. Despite sitting second in the KBO in home runs (13), Ramos hasn’t managed to hit a long ball since all the way back on June 11. That’s a little strange considering the import slugged 10 home runs in just 80 at-bats in the month of May. I think Ramos is due for a big game and I also think he can get it done against a contact-oriented RHP in Je Seong Bae ($6,500).
Value
Jae Il Oh, DOO at KIW, $3,900 - This sets up as a really nice spot to exploit Oh’s inexpensive price. It’s not so much that Hyun Hee Han ($7,000) has pitched poorly so far in 2020, it’s just that Oh has been tearing the cover off the baseball as of late. In the veteran’s past 10 games, he’s slashing a cool .375/.444/.750 with six extra-base hits and seven RBI. On top of that, Oh has been much better when playing on the road this season, as evidenced by a 1.206 OPS in 74 at-bats.
SECOND BASE
Stud
Keon Chang Seo, KIW vs. DOO, $4,100 - Hard to complain with this price point for Seo. The Heroes’ leadoff hitter comes into Wednesday’s slate leading the KBO in stolen bases (11) and with 11 hits in his past eight starts. He also draws a juicy matchup against the aforementioned Lee, whose 6.29 ERA and 11.3% walk rate are both among the worst in the league. Usually I’m not hoping a DFS asset is patient at the plate, but with what Seo can do on the base paths, Lee would be wise not to issue him a free pass.
Value
Kyung Soo Park, KTW at LG, $3,200 - Park has been on fire as of late, slashing .344/.462/.500 across his last 32 at-bats. He’ll now carry that momentum into a right-on-left matchup against Woo Chan Cha ($8,300), who had been a little inconsistent all season long. For instance, while the LHP has exceeded 20.0 DKFP five times, he’s also surrendered 1.15 home runs per nine and owns an underwhelming 1.47 WHIP. I wouldn’t be scared away from using some Wiz bats on Wednesday.
THIRD BASE
Stud
Suk Min Park, NCD vs. LOT, $4,300 - To say Park struggled in June would be an understatement. The veteran registered just a single extra-base hit in his 58 at-bats last month. However, if you’re looking for positives, that single occasion was a home run in Tuesday’s loss to the Giants. Another positive is that Park will draw an LHP on Wednesday in the form of Won Sam Jang ($5,200). Jang has been awful in recent years, pitching to a 6.26 ERA since 2015, so Park has a great opportunity to stay hot in a good matchup.
Value
Kyoung Min Hur, DOO at KIW, $2,900 - There’s no point in fading Hur. Will he be a relatively popular play considering his lineup placement and his recent success? Most definitely. However, how often can you find that combination of factors below $3K? Hur has managed multiple hits in four of his past six starts and he’s batting leadoff. That’s some enticing stuff.
SHORTSTOP
Stud
Jeong Choi, SK at SAM, $5,300 - After a horrendous start to the season, Choi turned things around in June. Across 83 at-bats, the veteran sported a .301 batting average with six home runs and 12 RBI. Considering the years and years of pedigree Choi is working with, I’m choosing to believe that this is the version of the 33-year-old we’ll be getting for the rest of 2020. That starts on Wednesday against David Buchanan ($7,600), who has conceded the fourth-most home runs per nine of any qualified starter in Korea (1.29).
Value
Hye Sung Kim, KIW vs. DOO, $2,700 - It would appear that Kim is now cemented into the two-spot in the Heroes’ lineup with Ha Seong Kim (ankle) on the shelf. It’s not hard to see why Kiwoom would make this move, as the 21-year-old has mustered at least a hit in nine of his past 10 games. For our purposes, Kim’s also met or exceeded 11.0 DKFP in five of his past eight starts.
OUTFIELD
Stud
Aaron Altherr, NCD vs. LOT, $5,000 - This might be my favorite play on the whole slate. Altherr is a monster when it comes to hitting against southpaws, with the import owning a .412 average and a 1.088 slugging percentage within the split so far this season. Heck, Altherr’s managed to hit seven home runs in just 34 at-bats versus LHPs in 2020. With Jang having struggled to even stay in the league the past five years, Altherr should have a field day.
Value
Eun Sung Chae, LG vs. KTW, $3,100 - Chae returned to the Twins’ lineup on Tuesday and, though the outfielder went hitless, he remains far too inexpensive on this slate. I mean, the guy is hitting .297 from a premium lineup spot. What more could you ask for this close to the $3K mark?
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.