This article is part of our DraftKings KBO series.
Tuesday's KBO action featured a variety of scorelines, ranging from a 1-1 tie between the Heroes and Eagles to a 10-9 victory for the Dinos over the Tigers. In the former game, both Eric Jokisch and Ryan Carpenter bounced back from poor stretches, combining to allow just one run on eight hits over 12 innings of work. In the latter, Jin Sung Kang led the way for the Dinos, going 2-for-4 with a grand slam. Elsewhere, Jae Hee Lee and Yeong U Jo were both surprisingly good, each allowing one run in five innings, but the Landers would go on to beat up the Lions' bullpen to win 7-2.
Wednesday's DraftKings slate will feature just four games, as neither half of the Tigers-Dinos doubleheader will be included. Rain is potentially a worry across the country, though only the Heroes-Eagles contest in Daejeon looks more likely than not to be canceled as of writing.
Pitchers
Odrisamer Despaigne ($8,600) struggled to open the second half, stumbling to a 6.04 ERA and 1.62 WHIP in his first six outings after the break. He's since sorted things out, however, as he owns a 2.45 ERA and 1.20 WHIP over his last three starts, striking out 19 while walking five over 18.1 innings of work. That performance is a near match for the excellent form Despaigne showed prior to the break, when he cruised to a 2.45 ERA and 1.26 WHIP over 18 outings. The Cuban righty doesn't have the easiest matchup here against the second-ranked Bears offense, but he's the most reliable of the day's most expensive options given the recent downturns in form for Se Woong Park and David Buchanan.
If the Heroes-Eagles game looks like it'll be able to go forward, Woo Jin An ($8,200) will be the most interesting pitcher on the slate. The 22-year-old only just made his first start of the second half last week after serving a suspension for violating COVID-19 protocols, but he didn't look remotely rusty, as he struck out 10 Dinos in 5.2 innings while allowing just one run on four hits and no walks. An, who possesses excellent velocity for the KBO level in his 94.1 mph fastball and 87.3 mph slider, cruised to a 3.00 ERA and 1.03 WHIP in a relief role last season, but he stumbled out of the gate upon his return to a starting role this year, posting a 4.62 ERA and 1.54 WHIP in his first six starts. Since then, he's been excellent, recording a 2.44 ERA and 1.08 WHIP in his last 10 outings while striking out 9.9 batters per nine innings.
If rain makes An not an option, Min Ho Lee ($7,500) will take over as the most interesting mid-priced option available. The 20-year-old isn't entirely trustworthy, but when he's on, he's been excellent. While he's allowed six runs in two of his last seven starts, he's allowed zero or one in each of the other five. Two starts ago, he struck out 11 while allowing just a single earned run against the Dinos, but he proceeded to get knocked around by the Lions for six runs in his most recent outing. Overall, Lee's good and bad performances have averaged out to a 4.10 ERA, a number which makes his modest price tag seem justified, though his combination of a 21.0 percent strikeout rate and 8.0 percent walk rate is a strong one. He'll face a decent Giants lineup that ranks fourth in scoring, but he'll do so at Jamsil Baseball Stadium, the most pitcher-friendly park in the league.
Top Targets
The Wiz remain comfortably in first place despite their best hitter, Baek Ho Kang, struggling to a .525 OPS over his last 10 games, and Jae Gyun Hwang ($5,100) is largely to thank for that. While he can't match the highs that Kang has reached this season, he's remained a very steady presence for the Wiz all season, posting an .825 OPS on the season and an .844 mark over his last 30 games. He's been that steady force for far more than just this season, as he's finished with an OPS somewhere in the 800s in each of his four seasons with the Wiz following a brief jump overseas with San Francisco. He'll get what should be an easy enough matchup Tuesday against Been Gwak, who's coming off a pair of scoreless outings but owns a 4.23 ERA and 1.59 WHIP on the season.
Hyun Soo Kim ($4,100) is having a slight down season, but his price has dipped far too low for someone of his talent. Kim has finished with an OPS north of 1.000 twice and was good enough to spend two years stateside with the Orioles and Phillies at his peak. He's past that peak now but is far from over the hill at age 33, as he hit .331/.404/.523 last season. In that contest, his .286/.382/.448 line this year is a mild disappointment, but he's still seeing the ball exceptionally well, walking 12.6 percent of the time to go along with a 7.4 percent strikeout rate. The veteran has three multi-hit games in his last six and could add another Wednesday against Giants righty Se Woong Park, who's had a strong season overall but has allowed 13 runs on 20 hits in just 9.2 innings of work over his last two starts.
Bargain Bats
The Landers have a theoretically difficult matchup on tap against David Buchanan of the Lions, but Buchanan has really struggled over his last two starts, allowing 13 runs (eight earned) on 20 hits in 9.2 innings of work while striking out just two batters. The Landers therefore look quite interesting, especially given that the game will take place at hitter-friendly Daegu Samsung Lions Park. Yoo Seom Han ($3,900) has seen his price tag dip slightly for reasons which aren't clear, as he's been swinging a hot bat recently. In his last 25 games, he's hit .310/.398/.548, homering six times while driving in 20 runs. He's also walked 13 times against just 10 strikeouts over that stretch, indicating that he's been seeing the ball very well.
Sticking with the Landers, Jeong Beom Lee ($2,500) is one of the better bargains available as long as he keeps batting in the number two hole, the spot he's occupied in 11 of the team's last 13 games. Lee has a very short track record, appearing in a grand total of 13 career KBO games, all of which have come this month. He's impressed over that small sample, hitting .279/.354/.488 with a pair of homers. The Landers seemingly believe in him, as they've trusted him with a key lineup spot right away, and it doesn't take much for fantasy players to take a chance on him given his inexpensive price. Given the park he'll be playing in Wednesday as well as Buchanan's recent struggles, he looks like an excellent choice.
Stacks to Consider
Lions vs. Byeong Hyeon Jo: Ja Wook Koo ($6,200), Jae Il Oh ($5,00), Dong Yub Kim ($2,600)
The Landers are desperate to find anyone who can stick in their rotation as they try to remain in the playoff hunt despite multiple injuries to their top starters. Jo is one of 17 pitchers to start a game for the team this season and is about to become one of 14 who have made multiple starts. The 19-year-old rookie wasn't terrible in his season debut Friday against the Giants, allowing three runs in four innings but at least posting a 4:1 K:BB, but he still looks like the most targetable option out there even without consider the fact that he'll be pitching in the league's best hitters' park. Despite his youth, he doesn't necessarily have a ton of potential, as he was merely a third-round pick and owns an unimpressive 5.45 ERA and 14.9 percent strikeout at the Futures League level. Most of the Lions' top bats look good against the young righty, but we'll go here with three who have been the hottest lately. The inexpensive Kim, who's been arguably the best bargain in the league since he returned from a well-deserved demotion two weeks ago, helps keep the stack affordable despite the presence of Koo, the priciest hitter on the entire slate.
Heroes vs. Ji Min Nam: Jung Hoo Lee ($5,200), Sung Mun Song ($3,500), Yong Kyu Lee ($3,400)
Nam is the only other pitcher I'm particularly excited to stack against, so I'll write him up here even though his game is at real risk of a rainout. Like Jo, he's set for his second career KBO start, as he held the Wiz scoreless in three innings in his debut Thursday despite an unimpressive 2:2 K:BB. He comes with a bit more pedigree, as he was the eighth-overall selection in the 2020 draft, and he does at least own a strong 3.40 ERA in 47.2 innings at the Futures League level over the last two seasons. That number comes with a low 12.2 percent strikeout rate, however, so it's tough to envision him reliably putting KBO hitters away if he can't miss bats at the Futures League level. We'll go here with a trio who have occupied the top three spots in the Heroes' last two games, pairing the excellent Jung Hoo Lee with a pair of inexpensive teammates who bat directly in front of him.
