KBO Daily Fantasy Baseball Helper: Saturday 7/18/20
MLB DFS is right around the corner, 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 Saturday is at 5:00 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Byung-wook Jo (KT) | $29 | R | @NC | 5.12 | 4.57 | 1.43 | 7.7% | 7.7% | 6.34 | 16.9% | 1012 |
| Chang-mo Koo (NC) | $28 | L | KT | 2.42 | 1.48 | 0.81 | 30.4% | 4.8% | 5.85 | 19.1% | 1012 |
| Ki-hoon Kim (Kia) | $26 | L | DOO | 3.02 | 4.35 | 1.26 | 32.6% | 7.0% | 6.15 | 14.6% | 1003 |
| Shi-hwan Jang (Hanwha) | $25 | R | @LG | 4.46 | 4.69 | 1.72 | 23.3% | 11.5% | 5.47 | 16.4% | 959 |
| Won-joon Choi (Doosan) | $25 | R | @KIA | 4.95 | 4.76 | 1.32 | 17.6% | 5.4% | 5.12 | 16.6% | 1003 |
| Se-woong Park (Lotte) | $24 | R | @SAM | 5.46 | 5.21 | 1.47 | 17.7% | 7.9% | 5.40 | 18.0% | 1093 |
| Jong-hoon Park (SK) | $24 | R | KIW | 4.24 | 5.20 | 1.47 | 23.3% | 10.6% | 5.67 | 18.6% | 1038 |
| Ben Lively (Samsung) | $23 | R | LOT | 6.82 | 5.40 | 1.35 | 17.2% | 8.6% | 5.05 | 15.8% | 1093 |
| Woo-chan Cha (LG) | $23 | L | HAN | 5.10 | 6.04 | 1.61 | 19.3% | 9.7% | 3.49 | 19.1% | 959 |
| Hyun-hee Han (Kiwoom) | $20 | R | @SK | 4.14 | 6.87 | 1.75 | 15.1% | 6.2% | 3.92 | 19.1% | 1038 |
Let's check out which pitchers and stacks stand out on tonight's slate
Pitchers
It's Chang-mo Koo ($29; NC Starting P) day, and he's up against one of the most strikeout-happy teams in the league. In fact, he recorded his best score against the KT Wiz early on this year, logging 8.0 scoreless innings with 10 punchouts (64.0 points). You know what to do.
Things get pretty murky after Koo, making it that much harder to move off him. Woo-chan Cha ($23; LG Starting P) has an unsettling ERA and FIP, but he has a solid 19.3% strikeout rate and was actually pretty decent in 2019. Most importantly, he's up against the Hanwha Eagles, who have been the worst offense in the league both this season and over the last 10 games. Cha is also in the night's best pitching venue.
Jong-hoon Park ($24; SK Starting P) is another pay-down option. Park has one of the better strikeout rates on the board and draws a plus matchup for whiffs, but he also struggles with walks and must contend with some dangerous Kiwoom bats in a hitter-friendly park. He falls firmly under the boom-or-bust category.
Note that while Ki-hoon Kim ($26; Kia Starting P) pops in the above chart, those marks have come over just 10.1 innings in relief, so don't get too excited. He performed poorly over 16 starts in 2019.
Stacks
The NC Dinos should make plenty of contact against Byung-wook Jo, who only has 7 strikeouts over his first 21.2 innings in the KBO. That doesn't bode well for Jo against the league's top offense in a ballpark than leans towards hitters. The KT Wiz also have the second-worst bullpen ERA (6.00). Even if you're rostering the high-priced Chang-mo Koo, pretty much all the Dinos' regulars have power and/or speed upside, so you don't necessarily need to fit in Aaron Altherr ($17) or Sung-Bum Na ($16) for a capable stack. Everyone else is priced at $12 and below, too.
Ben Lively is returning from injury, making his first start since May. He performed well over nine starts in 2019 but figures to be rusty following the long layoff. He also has to deal with one of the KBO's top hitting ballparks. The LG Twins could start four straight lefties against him in Chun-Woong Lee ($10), Ji-Hwan Oh ($10), Hyun-Soo Kim ($16), and Roberto Ramos ($15). Hyung-Jong Lee ($5) continues to bat in the heart of the order and is an easy way to save salary.
The Samsung Lions blew up for 15 runs on Friday and will look to keep things going on the other side of that game. Se-woong Park has the second-worst FIP of Saturday's starters. The Lions are a perfect stack to pair with Koo, as no one is priced above $11.
Considering the aforementioned Ki-hoon Kim's stats, it's possible that some people overlook just how bad he was as a starter last year. He was lit up for a 5.56 ERA, and his FIP was actually worse at 6.73. Even against a left-hander, the Doosan Bears are awfully intriguing in this spot.
