MLB finally has a timeline for its return at the end of July (yay!), so that means MLB DFS is on the horizon.
But you don't have to wait until then to get your daily fantasy baseball fix! The KBO rolls on with daily contests on FanDuel.
First pitch on Wednesday is at 5:30 am ET, and official lineups typically come out an hour before game time at the earliest.
Scoring is identical to what we see in MLB DFS, but FanDuel is condensing the number of starting spots to seven. You start one pitcher as usual, and then only need to roster two infielders, two outfielders, and two utility players to fill out the rest. Your total team salary is also $100 instead of $35,000.
Some websites that can help you get started include MyKBO Stats, FanGraphs, and Baseball-Reference.
Below is an overview of tonight's starting pitchers sorted by FanDuel salary with their 2020 numbers. Opposing team stats are also from this season. Multi-year park factors from the Korean website, Statiz.
Note that on FanDuel these hurlers are listed by their team names (ex: "SK Starting P"), so those are also included.
| Pitcher | Salary | L/R | Opp. | FIP | ERA | WHIP | K% | BB% | Opp. R/G | Opp. K% | Park |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dan Straily (Lotte) | $29 | R | @HAN | 3.11 | 2.53 | 1.06 | 26.2% | 6.6% | 3.56 | 19.5% | 978 |
| Sung-hyun Moon (Kiwoom) | $28 | R | SAM | 3.96 | 2.16 | 1.32 | 18.8% | 15.6% | 5.31 | 18.3% | 979 |
| Warwick Saupold (Hanwha) | $26 | R | LOT | 3.70 | 4.00 | 1.44 | 14.1% | 4.3% | 4.79 | 16.0% | 978 |
| Tae-in Won (Samsung) | $26 | R | @KIW | 4.83 | 2.97 | 1.34 | 14.0% | 8.1% | 5.75 | 18.7% | 979 |
| Min-woo Lee (Kia) | $25 | R | KT | 4.52 | 4.70 | 1.34 | 15.9% | 8.6% | 5.87 | 18.7% | 1003 |
| Jong-gi Park (Doosan) | $24 | R | LG | 3.70 | 3.79 | 1.32 | 20.5% | 9.0% | 5.48 | 16.0% | 959 |
| Casey Kelly (LG) | $24 | R | @DOO | 4.75 | 4.89 | 1.39 | 17.0% | 6.6% | 6.22 | 14.9% | 959 |
| Geon-wook Lee (SK) | $23 | R | NC | 4.74 | 3.19 | 1.39 | 17.9% | 14.1% | 6.49 | 17.0% | 1038 |
| Odrisamer Despaigne (KT) | $22 | R | @KIA | 4.29 | 4.32 | 1.33 | 18.0% | 6.4% | 4.84 | 16.9% | 1003 |
| Jae-hak Lee (NC) | $21 | R | @SK | 4.69 | 5.72 | 1.49 | 15.0% | 9.1% | 3.74 | 19.2% | 1038 |
Let's check out which pitchers and stacks stand out on tonight's slate
Pitchers
Dan Straily ($29; Lotte Starting P) immediately stands out as the top hurler, with both the best overall numbers and best matchup. It's a steep price to pay, but this isn't one to overthink -- he has far and away, the best chance of the slate's top score.
Furthermore, it's tough to find anyone else who might be able to keep up with Straily. But if you're paying down, Jong-gi Park ($24; Doosan Starting P) and Odrisamer Despaigne ($22; KT Starting P) are your best bets.
Park doesn't have the best matchup against the Twins, but he's in a pitcher-friendly ballpark and has produced a solid 20.5% strikeout rate through four starts. However, he hasn't shown huge upside with pitch counts topping out in the 80s so far.
That makes Despaigne arguably the better pay-down option against the Kia Tigers. He's a whopping $7 cheaper than Straily, and the Tigers are a below-average offense. After going through a mediocre stretch, he's coming off a seven-strikeout game against Kiwoom.
Stacks
Between a 14.1% walk rate and lackluster FIP, Geon-wook Lee appears ill-equipped to handle the NC Dinos. Aaron Altherr ($15) is up to 14 bombs and 10 swiped bags, and he's even more appealing these days batting in the heart of the order. On the other hand, Jin-Sung Kang ($15) is now batting in the bottom half, but don't overlook him as a possibility considering the power he's also shown, with 9 dingers and a .258 ISO. Hee-Dong Kwon ($9) offers pop on the cheap (.246 ISO) and has been batting high in the order lately. Usual leadoff man Min-woo Park ($12) should be back in the lineup after returning from the injured list on Tuesday.
The Kiwoom Heroes are also in the mix against Tae-in Won, whose sparkling ERA isn't backed up by a modest 14.0% strikeout rate and 8.1% walk rate. His FIP falls in line with his 2019 ERA, too, so feel free to load up on those Heroes. Keon-Chang Seo ($11) and Dong-Won Park ($9) are solid values to help fit in the star sluggers.
The KT Wiz are also in a good spot versus Min-woo Lee, who has similar peripherals to the aforementioned Tae-in Won. Jae-Gyun Hwang ($11), Han-Joo Yoo ($11), and Jeong-Dae Bae ($10) give you a variety of mid-range options under the high-priced studs.