Split columns for the split slate tonight. We’ll go through some KBO DFS pitching options here and cover hitters in… wait for it… Spotlight Hitters. Should I have put a spoiler alert on that one?
Last night’s slate had one standout pitching performance from solid Kia starter Hyun-jong Yang and roughly acceptable starts from Warwick Saupold and Odrisamer Despaigne. After our peek at the KBO’s bullpens yesterday we saw multiple teams collapse after pulling their starter once again. The Bears were already leading the Lions by 4 when those two teams combined for 7 more runs in the 8th and 9th innings to end a 12-7 game; the Heroes were leading by a run when they pulled starter Jake Brigham after the 5th only to see the bullpen promptly allow another 5 runs to drop the game 9-7; and the Wiz, the team that was last in our bullpen rankings blew another one, a 5-1 lead evaporating when their bullpen let the Twins score 5 times over the game’s final three innings.
With a few monster implied totals and a few seemingly strong spots for pitching tonight’s slate looks like it might be equally top-heavy. We’ll look for the high-end chalky options and hopefully identify a good sneaky target or two. Keep in mind that we have a split slate tonight, with the KT vs. LG game starting up at 1:00am EST.
The bulk of this analysis comes directly from reviewing Awesemo’s KBO DFS projections for both DraftKings and FanDuel. Check out the rest of our KBO content, Awesemo’s projections, rankings, and ownership on the site for all your KBO DFS needs.
KBO DFS Picks: Pitching Breakdown for DraftKings + FanDuel
KT Wiz @ LG Twins – 11 run total (5.14/6.25) – Min Kim vs. Woo-chan Cha
The early game looks like a fun one with a meaty 11 run total. The Wiz have 21-year-old righty Min Kim ($27/$6.7k) going in this one. The third-year starter has an atrocious K:BB ratio for his career and allows far too many base-runners to be an effective option. His price on FanDuel takes him completely out of consideration and a projection under 10 does the same on DraftKings.
Woo-chan Cha ($23/$8.3k) is Awesemo’s 3rd highest projected starter on both sites tonight, and his price on FanDuel is appealing. Ownership will be worth monitoring as we update closer to lock, and the implied total over 5 is a warning sign, but Cha looks like a good option tonight. The veteran is one of the more reliable KBO strikeout options, which is handy to cover for some of the run-costing mistakes we’ve seen him make. So far in 2020 Cha has given KBO DFS owners 1 very good start, 1 OK start, and one poor start, hopefully tonight will help us figure out who he really is.
Hanwha Eagles @ NC Dinos – 9.5 run total (3.9/5.99) – Min-woo Kim vs. Drew Rucinski
The Eagles will look to suppress the powerful Dinos offense for a 2nd night in a row, sending 24-year-old right-handed hurler Min-woo Kim ($24/$7.1k) to the mound tonight. Kim’s 2020 is off to an intriguing start. After not showing much through 45 starts since 2015 he’s had strong back to back 7 inning starts. While I’d like to see him cut his walks further, Kim has managed to strike out just around a hitter-per-inning and has severely limited contact. The Dinos will be an interesting test for how real this start is. Kim ranks bottom-middle in the projections tonight, he could be an option at SP2 on DraftKings.
The Dinos counter with import starter Drew Rucinski ($26/$9.3k) who has delivered 2 quality starts in 3 tries so far in 2020. Rucinski had a dynamite year in the KBO in 2019 and there’s no reason to expect much change this season. He’s not quite a strikeout-per-inning guy, but in this league he’s high-end starter who knows how to limit contact and free passes and is second in the projections on both sites. If you can afford him, Rucinski is a great option tonight against the limited Hanwha offense.
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Kia Tigers @ SK Wyverns – 8.5 run total (4.85/3.94) – Aaron Brooks vs. Tae-hoon Kim
The Kia Tigers’ big free agent pickup this offseason, Aaron Brooks ($25/$7.8k) has mostly delivered in his first 3 starts, despite only booking 1 quality start so far. Brooks has been effective so far, demonstrating excellent control not walking a hitter through his first 18 innings. While he has allowed some contact, it has largely been of the soft variety, and he’s yet to yield a home run in 2020. Brooks leads all starters tonight in Awesemo’s projections, and his pricing on both sites makes him extremely playable. This is likely to be a strong but chalky option for KBO DFS owners tonight.
The Wyverns desperately need to make something happen, and they’re looking to miniscule 5’9” converted lefty reliever Tae-hoon Kim ($21/$7.3k) to be their savior on the mound tonight. Despite not booking a win, Kim is off to a strong start in 2020 with 2 quality starts in 2 tries and dazzling ratio numbers through his tiny 13 inning sample this year. Through his career Kim has been a quality strikeout option in short stints out of the bullpen. How that will transition to a starting role is going to be a big factor in his reliability as a fantasy option. Kim ranks in the middle of the projections and makes for a secondary SP2 play.
Doosan Bears @ Samsung Lions – 11.5 run total (7.11/4.85) – Raul Alcantara vs. Dae-woo Kim
The implied totals for the Bears just keep going up and they keep delivering. Supported by his whopping implied team total over 7 runs and taking on an unspectacular offense, Raul Alcantara ($25/$7.6k) should be in consideration tonight. The ballpark plays hitter-friendly which is probably why Alcantara isn’t jumping off the page in projections. His pricing and ownership are favorable, making him an interesting FanDuel pivot.
The Lions are sending 31-year-old Dae-woo Kim ($20/$4.0k) into the fire tonight. Kim has made 5 appearances already this year out of the bullpen and probably isn’t long for this game. Avoid him on both sites despite the minimum price.
Kiwoom Heroes @ Lotte Giants – 10 run total (6.22/4.19) – Eric Jokisch vs. In-bok Lee
The Heroes’ import ace Eric Jokisch ($27/$8.9k) lands near the middle of Awesemo’s projections tonight on both sites and doesn’t exactly come at a discount. Jokisch is off to an excellent start for his 2020, booking 2 quality starts in 3 tries, yielding a single earned run, and striking out 14 while walking only 2 in his 17 innings. This trends in-line with what Jokisch delivered in the KBO in 2019. Given his low projected ownership, Jokisch could surprise KBO DFS owners on both sites tonight.
What can I say about Giants starter, In-bok Lee ($20/$4.0k), that I didn’t say about the other min-price converted reliver terrible option on the slate? He’s 2 inches taller? That’s about an inch for each point higher that he’s projected. This is another full fade, out of consideration on both sites.
Top Starter: Aaron Brooks
Under the Radar: Eric Jokisch
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