DFS KBO: Tuesday Cheat Sheet

Sunday's KBO slate was just the second full one of the week after rain washed away a total of 11 games in the previous four days. The day featured a handful of close games, with the Twins taking the rubber match against the rival Bears by a 4-3 score in perhaps the game of the day. Elsewhere, Chang Mo Koo had one of his worst games of the year against the Wiz, though that says more about his year to date than his outing Sunday, as he still struck out seven batters in seven innings while allowing a perfectly acceptable three runs. It wasn't enough to earned the victory, as three solo homers from Jae Gyun Hwang, Jeong Dae Bae and Woo Jun Sim sent the Wiz home as 5-4 victors. David Buchanan allowed six runs (four earned) in five innings as the Lions fell to the Tigers 8-5, while the Heroes handled the Giants easily, winning 8-1 behind three hits and three RBI from Byung Ho Park. The battle of the basement, the Wyverns defeated the Eagles 7-4 despite Brandon Barnes' first KBO homer; those teams also played a make-up game Monday, which ended in a 5-5 tie.

Weather seems set to remain a factor this week, unfortunately, with the three games taking place in the southern part of the country -- Eagles-Lions in Daegu, Wiz-Tigers in Gwangju and Dinos-Giants in Busan -- appearing threatened by rain as of writing.

Pitchers

Raul Alcantara ($10,200) has been excellent all season, posting a 2.89 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP through his first 14 starts. He's been even more dominant over his last four outings, allowing just three runs on 18 hits with a 31:1 K:BB over 27 innings. In theory, the Heroes and their fourth-ranked offense represent a fairly tough matchup, but he handled them easily his last time out, striking out eight in seven scoreless innings. They've also been struggling lately, averaging just 3.5 runs over their last six games.

Drew Gagnon ($8,900) faces a tough matchup against Mel Rojas Jr. and the Wiz's third-ranked offense, but he's talented enough to shut them down. Over his first 13 starts in Korea, he's cruised to a 3.53 ERA and a 23.6 percent strikeout rate, the latter representing the fourth-best mark among qualified starters. He wasn't at his best in late June and early July, which did include a poor start against the Wiz, but he's coming off a pair of strong performances in which he's allowing just two runs on five hits across 12.1 innings, striking out 13 batters.

For a considerably cheaper option, Bum Soo Kim ($5,600) looks playable against a struggling Lions squad that ranks sixth in scoring, though hitter-friendly Daegu Samsung Lions Park does add risk to an already considerably risky profile. He's far from trustworthy, as he's coming off an outing in which he allowed five runs over 3.2 innings against a similarly mediocre Tigers lineup, but that's baked into his price. He's allowed two or fewer runs in three of his last five starts and owns a strong 21.1 percent strikeout rate on the season, so there's some upside here to go along with a very low floor.

Top Targets

The Giants continue to hang around the fringes of the playoff race after their last-place finish in 2019, and Jun Woo Jeon ($4,500) has been a big part of their eighth-ranked lineup's modest accomplishments. The veteran outfielder wouldn't be one of the top hitters on too many teams in the league, but he leads the Giants with a solid 13 homers, pairing that number with a .285/.349/.491 slash line. He's been particularly hot lately, hitting .353/.463/.676 with three homers and nine RBI over his last nine games. He'll get an easy matchup Tuesday against Jae Hak Lee, who owns a disappointing 5.59 ERA this season.

Wiz righty Je Seong Bae's 4.11 ERA through 12 starts is a respectable number, but it appears undeserved next to his poor 14.9 percent strikeout rate and 10.7 walk rate. Hyung Woo Choi ($4,700) seems like the top play against him with the more expensive Preston Tucker not playing his best lately. The 36-year-old Choi has shown no signs of slowing down at the tail end of his career, as his .320/.422/.506 slash line edges out his .300/.419/.485 mark from last season. He's been seeing the ball well over his last 14 games, hitting .356 over that stretch.

Bargain Bats

While Bum Soo Kim was mentioned as a cheap pitcher worth consideration above, he's not nearly good enough that you should avoid Lions hitters against him if you aren't including him yourself. Won Seok Lee ($3,600) has been hot lately, posting an excellent .385/.462/.641 with three homers and 14 RBI over his last 14 games. The cleanup hitting owns a solid .284/.360/.463 slash line on the season, making him a good value at his mid-tier price, especially as part of a thin pool at third base.

Dong Min Han ($3,600) has hit just .188 in 11 games since returning from a lengthy absence due to a shin bruise, but he's homered three times in his last seven games, making him a low-floor but high-ceiling play who's well-suited to larger tournaments. Throwing in his 17 games from before the injury, he's hit a strong .272/.361/.598 with nine homers. He's homered in 8.4 percent of his total plate appearances, even better than the great Mel Rojas Jr.'s 8.0 percent mark. Han homered 41 times as recently as 2018, so he should be able to keep up his power surge going forward. He'll get the platoon advantage against Twins righty Tyler Wilson, who's far from terrible but whose 4.13 ERA certainly isn't intimidating.

Stacks To Consider

Dinos vs. Kyung Eun Noh: Sung Bum Na ($5,200), Myung Gi Lee ($3,400), Jin Sung Kang ($4,200)

Noh was lit up for four runs while recording just four outs against the lowly Wyverns in a relief appearance his last time out. That outing sent his season ERA up to 5.83 Tuesday's start will be his first in over a month. It's no surprise to see the 36-year-old struggle this season, as he was out of the league entirely and pitching in Australia last season. He's at least shown good control this year, walking just 6.1 percent of opposing batters, but both his 14.7 percent strikeout rate and 1.8 HR/9 are quite poor.

We'll want to lead with the lefties in this one with a struggling righty on the mound, and there are few better lefties in the league than Na. He's been quite hot in his last four games, homering three times. That's given him 18 homers on the season, tied with his teammate Aaron Altherr for second in the league. His name can be found all over the leaderboards this season, as expected, as he sits fifth in OPS with a .989 mark, the product of a .310/.382/.607 slash line.

Lee moved back up to the second spot for the last two games and should be an affordable value play as long as he remains in that spot. He's certainly not one of the Dinos' better hitters, as he makes good contact but provides a relatively empty batting average, hitting .293/.345/.346 overall. He's seen the ball well over his last seven games, however, hitting .320 over that stretch. He's primarily listed here for his price and lineup position, which should lead to several chances at runs due to the Dinos' strong overall lineup, but he can be replaced by a more expensive option should you have the budget space.

Kang was supposed to be a bench player this season but burst out of the gate to hit an incredible .432/.484/.784 over his first 35 contests. He was a near-everyday fantasy option during that stretch, as his price remained cheap and he was erroneously listed as a catcher. His position has since been corrected, and he struggled to an awful .182/.188/.227 line over his next 18 contests, sending him crashing down the order. He's re-established himself in the fifth spot lately, though, and has hit .400/.432/.486 over his last nine games, making him an interesting play here even without the platoon advantage.

Twins vs. Ricardo Pinto: Hyun Soo Kim ($4,600), Roberto Ramos ($4,600), Ji Hwan Oh ($4,500)

Pinto's 4.60 ERA isn't terrible, but that's just about the only positive thing you can say about his line this season. That mark has come with a 1.71 WHIP and an awful combination of an 11.7 percent strikeout rate and an 11.1 percent walk rate. He was only able to keep his ERA respectable throughout much of the season by limiting homers, allowing just one ball to clear the fence in his first 11 starts. Small-sample home run rates can be quite fluky, however, and his seems to be correcting itself lately, as he's allowed a homer in each of his last three outings. His overall numbers over his last four starts are quite poor, as he owns a 6.04 ERA, a 1.84 WHIP and an 8:13 K:BB over that stretch.

Kim has been the Twins' best hitter for quite some time due to Ramos' struggles. Eight of his 13 homers on the season have come in his last 18 games, a stretch in which he's hit .389/.457/.792 while striking out just five times. That excellent contact is more in character for Kim than his sudden display of power, as he's a lifetime .322 hitter over his 13-year KBO career but hit just 11 homers last season. Even if he doesn't homer against the suddenly homer-prone Pinto in this one, though, he should still be in line for a big game.

Ramos' aforementioned struggles have gone on for a worryingly long stretch, but that's reflected in his price. He hit a remarkable .380/.448/.796 with 13 homers in 31 games prior to landing on the injured list with ankle and back issues in mid-June, but he's gone just .227/.315/.382 with four homers in 29 contests since his return. Still, the talent that helped him to such a remarkable start is undoubtedly still there, and a matchup against Pinto could be what he needs to break free of his slump.

Oh is locked into the number two spot against righties and should be one of the top plays at shortstop as long as he occupies that role. The 30-year-old isn't a dominant hitter, but his .280/.331/.453 line is more than adequate for the position. He's chipped in with seven homers, the third-highest mark among all shortstop, and is tied for fourth in the league with 12 steals. He's been on a roll lately, hitting safely in 11 straight games, a stretch over which he owns a .348/.354/.652 slash line.