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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.
Set your DraftKings lineups here: KBO $50K Relay Throw [$10K to 1st] (Korean Baseball)
Curious about when major leagues and events will return? Check out our DraftKings Sports Calendar for the latest updates.
PITCHER
Stud
Dan Straily, LOT at HAN, $10,000 - There’s a chance Straily’s ownership is up around 70% on Wednesday, but I still don’t think you can fade the RHP. I mean, it’s hard enough finding one pitcher I really like on this slate, let alone two or three. Straily comes into this matchup against Eagles in possession of the KBO’s second-highest strikeout rate (26.2%) and its third-lowest WHIP (1.06). Yes, the import has struggled in his past two outings; however, I doubt he has much trouble dispatching Hanwha and their microscopic .341 slugging percentage.
Value
Odrisamer Despaigne, KTW at KIA, $8,100 - It’s hard to trust any of the arms below the $8K mark on this slate. Between bad matchups and pitch counts, Despaigne is about as cheap as I’m willing to go; though I might consider Jong Gi Park ($7,200) in tournaments. Anyway, while there’s nothing all that flashy about Despaigne, he has managed to at least exceed 13.0 DKFP in eight of his 12 starts this season. He’s also coming off a seven inning outing against the Heroes where he struck out seven and allowed just a single earned run. With so much uncertainty in the pitching on Wednesday, give me the import’s sturdy floor.
CATCHER
Stud
Eui Ji Yang, NCD at SK, $6,100 - You don’t really have to spend up at catcher on Wednesday, but if you have the means, Yang remains your best option on a daily basis. The veteran leads all players at the position in ISO (.262), wOBA (.406) and wRC+ (140), while Yang’s also slotted into the middle of a Dinos lineup that leads the KBO in runs (344). It’s hard to ask for more.
Value
Joon Tae Kim, LOT at HAN, $2,300 - Speaking of catchers batting in high-leverage spots, Kim’s hit fifth in the Giants’ lineup in each of his past two starts. It’s hard to imagine that this trend is going to change on Wednesday, as the 25-year-old racked up four hits and a walk in Lotte’s 7-6 extra innings loss to Hanwha last evening. Kim now has three multi-hit performances in his past six games. That’s pretty enticing for someone this inexpensive.
FIRST BASE
Stud
Roberto Ramos, LG at DOO, $5,100 - Ramos had gone through a little bot of a slump in the latter-half of June, but with two home runs and and seven hits in his past five games, I think it’s safe to suggest that the swoon is over. The powerful left-handed bat should have a great opportunity to do some damage against Doosan’s young RHP or, more likely, the Bears’ inconsistent bullpen, as Park’s yet to throw more than 85 pitches in a start.
Value
Dae Ho Lee, LOT at HAN, $3,800 - After hitting eight home runs in the month of June, Lee’s scuffled a little at the dish in July, yet I think those struggles will come to an end on Wednesday versus Warwick Saupold ($8,300). The fact of the matter is that the RHP just can’t stop surrendering opponent hits. Saupold’s conceded 66 across his past 41.2 innings, with a contact rate that would make Jodie Foster blush. The import has also allowed RHBs to compile a .352 average in 2020, so things stack up exceedingly well for Lee.
SECOND BASE
Stud
Jose Fernandez, DOO vs. LG, $5,800 - At this point, it’s difficult to fear Casey Kelly ($9,300). The right-hander has surrendered 1.70 home runs per nine over his last 37.0 innings, a span in which Kelly’s also pitched to a robust 5.35 ERA. This is all good news for Fernandez, who is red-hot at the plate right now. In fact, the infielder is slashing .432/.533/.730 in his most recent 37 at-bats. Those are some eye-popping figures to be sure.
Value
Hoon Jung, LOT at HAN, $3,700 - Another right-handed bat that should cause some issues for Saupold. Jung hit his third home run of 2020 on Tuesday in the Giants’ loss and the veteran now has 10 hits in his past seven games. Combine that recent success with the fact that Jung has also cemented himself in Lotte’s leadoff spot and you’ve got yourself an asset that checks almost every box as a value play.
THIRD BASE
Stud
Sang Su Kim, SAM at KIW, $4,800 - Kim has been unstoppable in Samsung’s past five games, racking up 12 hits and seven runs within that short span of time. I’d expect that success to carry over into Wednesday, as the 30-year-old will face Sung Hyun Moon ($4,800). Moon hasn’t made a start in the KBO in five years and there’s some pretty good reason for that. Across 2014 and 2015, the right-handed sported an ugly 6.10 ERA over 177.0 innings of work. Yikes.
Value
Kyoung Min Hur, DOO vs. LG, $3,500 - There might not be a hotter hitter in Korea than Hur right now. Over the 29-year-old’s past 10 games he’s been able to slash .500/.545/.550 with an astounding 20 hits in that 40 at-bat sample. Sure, Hur hasn’t exactly showcased a lot of power in that stretch, but at this minimal price point, that’s not all that concerning.
SHORTSTOP
Stud
Ha Seong Kim, KIW vs. SAM, $5,600 - Kim’s been an absolute force so far in July, collecting 11 hits, eight RBI and a pair of stolen bases through his first six games in the month. Will his hefty price tag be difficult to fit into a build with so few viable pitching options? You’d better believe it. However, if you can make it happen, Kim’s in a great spot against Tae In Won ($7,700) and his ridiculous 83.1% strand rate that’s seriously due for regression.
Value
Ji Hwan Oh, LG at DOO, $3,800 - As you might imagine, there’s not a lot of upside to be found below the $4K mark at shortstop on this slate. Still, there’s more than enough to like about Oh, who combines a middle-of-the-order lineup spot with elite speed on the base paths. On top of that, Oh’s exhibited far more power on the road in 2020, with his .506 slugging percentage within the split dwarfing his .315 figure at home.
OUTFIELD
Stud
Ja Wook Koo, SAM at KIW, $4,500 - Koo’s certainly been feeling it at the plate in recent weeks, as the veteran has exceeded 14.0 DKFP in six of his past 10 games. That’s also a span of time where Koo’s slashed .349/.370/.558 with three stolen bases, so, essentially, he’s been doing it all. With Kiwoom being forced into an emergency start from the underwhelming Moon, I’d be going out of my way to get Koo into a few lineups on Wednesday.
Value
Jeong Dae Bae, KTW at KIA, $3,100 - As per usual, Bae is just far too cheap on this slate, especially with how inconsistent Min Woo Lee ($8,000) has looked across his past four starts. In any case, Bae is scorching hot, having hit three home runs in the 24 at-bats he’s taken since the beginning of July. If that sounds like a lot of production from an asset with a price tag this low, know that it is.
Set your DraftKings 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.