This article is part of our DraftKings KBO series.
The four games that made up DraftKings' Friday KBO slate were mostly low-scoring, with only two teams managing more than four runs. Stacking one of the two hard-hitting lineups was the easiest path to victory. Six different Twins recorded multiple hits, with Chang Ki Hong grabbing four, as they knocked out David Buchanan in the third inning and went on to beat the Lions, 11-3, while Soo Bin Jung reached base four times, scored twice and drove in two more runs as the Bears toppled the Tigers, 8-2. The other two games featured pitchers' duels. Nick Kingham outdueled Odrisamer Despaigne in the Eagles' 4-1 win over the Wiz, allowing one run in six frames to Despaigne's two, while Drew Rucinski's two unearned runs over six frames weren't enough to secure a win against the Heroes with Won Tae Choi allowing just one run over seven innings.
We're back to a standard five-game slate on DraftKings for Saturday's contests, which begin at 4:00 a.m. ET. Rain doesn't appear to be a factor as of writing.
Pitchers
Ariel Miranda ($10,200) is always the top option whenever he's on the mound, so it's a mystery why he's merely the second most expensive starter here. It's certainly not due to his matchup, as he faces an Eagles team which ranks ninth in scoring. It's also certainly not due to his recent performance, as he's riding a streak of 14 straight quality starts. He's been incredible over that run, posting a 1.82 ERA and 0.86 WHIP while averaging 8.4 strikeouts and 1.4 walks per appearance. The lefty will likely draw as big of a crowd as ever, but if you leave him out you'll likely simply be left behind. Fading Miranda is tough to advocate for when he hasn't finished with fewer than 20 DraftKings points per game since mid-May.
Miranda becomes a lot easier to fit into your lineup when you pair him with Bo Takahashi ($5,000). The Brazilian righty is certainly a wild card, as he'll be making his KBO debut here against the Landers, but we should operate under the assumption that any player deemed worthy of one of a team's two foreign pitcher spots is going to be one of the better pitchers in the league until they demonstrate otherwise. Takashi is a rarity in that he went overseas without ever making his MLB debut, but that rule still applies, as there's not a clear correlation between a player's MLB track record and his KBO success. Eric Jokisch, for example, has a grand total of four MLB appearances under his belt and has been one of the best starters in Korea since his arrival. It would be unwise to expect Takahashi to immediately become a Jokisch-level weapon, but he can even be a below-average foreign starter and still be worth far more than $5,000.
It's going to be tough to fit in Young Pyo Ko ($9,600) alongside Miranda without some serious sacrifices among your hitters, but he's a strong alternative if you're determined to avoid the crowd the Bears lefty will undoubtedly come with. Ko missed the previous two seasons due to mandatory military service but has been excellent in his return to action, cruising to a 3.11 ERA and a league-leading 0.98 WHIP through 20 starts. He's kept that WHIP so low by avoiding walks, as he also leads the league with a 4.3 percent walk rate, though that's not all he does, as he's also struck out a perfectly adequate 17.8 percent of opposing batters. He's been on a remarkable run over his last three starts, lasting at least eight innings in all three while giving up a total of one run. Expecting him to remain that elite is probably not smart, though the eighth-ranked Twins lineup is unlikely to pose much of a test.
Top Targets
Tae In Won's 2.88 ERA on the season may scare many people away from Dinos hitters, leaving them in far fewer lineups than normal, but he's looked quite hittable recently, posting a 4.96 ERA over his last three starts and allowing a total of 17 hits over his last two. With the game taking place at Daegu Samsung Lions Park, the most hitter-friendly venue in the league, Sung Bum Na ($4,700) should absolutely be under consideration even against a typically tough opponent. His OPS has fallen 110 points from where it sat last season, but it's not as if there's anything wrong with his .879 mark this year. He stumbled a bit last week, grabbing just one hit over a four-game stretch, but he's since rebounded and is riding a four-game hitting streak, a run that should continue here even in a fairly difficult matchup.
If you aren't selecting Bo Takahashi yourself, as suggested above, Yoo Seom Han ($4,100) provides an affordable way to bet against him in his KBO debut. He's been in excellent form recently, recording multiple hits in four straight starts. After hitting a decent 13 homers across his first 77 games, he's suddenly caught fire in the power department, homering 11 times over his last 33 contests, nearly doubling his previous rate. That power is nothing new, as he homered 15 times in just 62 games in an injury-filled 2020 season, but he's also trimmed his strikeout rate from 21.2 percent last season to 18.7 percent this year, an improvement which has helped his batting average jump from .249 to .273.
Bargain Bats
I wanted to recommend a Tigers stack below, as they'll face Landers righty Min Jun Choi, proud owner of a 6.12 ERA and 1.86 WHIP, but the team simply doesn't have enough trustworthy bats. Hyoung Woo Choi ($3,500) deserves a spot even without his teammates, however. The 37-year-old was one of the best hitters in the league last season, winning a batting title while slashing .354/.438/.590. His numbers are far worse this season, but that's mostly the product of an eye issue he battled early in the year. He hit just .181/.333/.307 over his first 34 games but has since rebounded in a big way, hitting .288/.410/.479 over his last 42 while walking (31) more than he's struck out (26).
The Heroes also deserve stack consideration Saturday, as they'll take on Giants righty In Bok Lee and his 5.34 ERA. Seong Mun Song ($3,600) has swung a hot bat recently and makes for a strong budget option at second or third base. He may have gone hitless Friday, but that followed a stretch in which he recorded five multi-hit games in seven appearances. That saw him jump up to second in the order Saturday, a spot that makes him even more interesting than he would be if he falls back to his usual fifth spot. Song isn't an elite bat, but his .273/.331/.422 line through 40 games this season is easily enough to justify his low price.
Stacks to Consider
Bears vs. Ki Joong Kim: Jae Hwan Kim ($5,800), Kun Woo Park ($4,600), Gye Beom Park ($4,200)
The Bears have lost just one of their last 17 games and have jumped all the way up to second in scoring, making them a scary matchup against most pitchers right now. Even a lineup far less dangerous would be worth stacking against Ki Joong Kim, however. The young lefty clearly has potential, as he was taken second-overall in the most recent draft and has already made 11 starts in his age-18 season. Judging by his 4.96 ERA, he's held his own, but the rest of his statline doesn't back that ERA up. He's struck out just 13.8 percent of opposing batters while walking the exact same amount, a number which is quite poor in both categories. He's allowed nearly two baserunners per inning (1.92 WHIP), so the Bears should be able to generate several rallies before he exits, which has come no later than the fifth inning in each of his last three starts. I'm willing to go with the left-handed Jae Hwan Kim against the young southpaw, since he probably won't be in the game for long, but I'll pair him here with two righties who bat near him in the heart of the Bears' order.
Giants vs. Seon Gi Kim: Jun Woo Jeon ($4,200), Dae Ho Lee ($3,900), Ah Seop Son ($3,900)
Kim may be coming off a pair of quality starts, but he hasn't gotten there in a sustainable way. The former Seattle Mariners minor leaguer struck out just two batters in both of those outings, though that's nothing unusual given the way his season has gone. He's struck out a meager 9.2 percent of opposing batters this season, a number which comes in below his 9.9 percent walk rate. Once his .261 BABIP rises, his ERA will likely rise along with it, assuming he doesn't suddenly figure out how to miss bats. He's had a bit more success in that area in the past, but his career 13.0 percent strikeout rate isn't exactly intimidating. Any Giants stack should feature Son, the team's lone lefty who regularly hits near the top of the order, pairing him with some of the team's largely interchangeable right-handed bats. I've gone with Jeon and Lee here, both of whom have been hot at the plate lately, with Jeon in particular lighting it up to the tune of 15 hits across his last five games.
