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 Tuesday 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Je-Seong Bae (KT) | $29 | R | LG | 5.08 | 3.60 | 1.45 | 15.1% | 10.6% | 5.44 | 16.5% | 973 |
| Sung-young Choi (NC) | $28 | L | SAM | 6.89 | 4.93 | 1.50 | 9.9% | 10.6% | 5.32 | 17.8% | 1012 |
| Drew Gagnon (Kia) | $26 | R | @HAN | 3.08 | 3.88 | 1.29 | 24.1% | 7.9% | 3.43 | 19.3% | 978 |
| Bum-soo Kim (Hanwha) | $25 | L | KIA | 5.31 | 3.66 | 1.48 | 21.7% | 14.0% | 5.02 | 16.6% | 978 |
| Raul Alcantara (Doosan) | $25 | R | KIW | 3.48 | 3.13 | 1.12 | 22.1% | 3.5% | 5.61 | 18.6% | 959 |
| Adrian Sampson (Lotte) | $24 | R | @SK | 4.63 | 6.50 | 1.77 | 14.4% | 6.0% | 3.88 | 19.2% | 1038 |
| Ricardo Pinto (SK) | $24 | R | LOT | 4.79 | 4.48 | 1.71 | 11.7% | 10.8% | 4.95 | 15.8% | 1038 |
| Tyler Wilson (LG) | $23 | R | @KT | 4.49 | 4.35 | 1.39 | 15.8% | 6.9% | 5.72 | 19.3% | 973 |
| Jung-hyun Baek (Samsung) | $23 | L | @NC | 5.33 | 4.86 | 1.38 | 18.1% | 6.9% | 6.37 | 17.0% | 1012 |
| Eric Jokisch (Kiwoom) | $20 | L | @DOO | 3.20 | 1.62 | 0.92 | 17.5% | 3.5% | 6.17 | 14.2% | 959 |
Let's check out which pitchers and stacks stand out on tonight's slate
Pitchers
Drew Gagnon ($26; Kia Starting P) is the clear top choice with both the best strikeout rate and easiest opponent on Tuesday. The Hanwha Eagles continue to be the matchup that keeps on giving and have scored far and away the KBO's fewest runs per game over their last 10 (2.90). Gagnon isn't even that priced up and also gets a park factor boost.
Raul Alcantara ($25; Doosan Starting P) gets a tougher draw versus the Kiwoom Heroes, but the Heroes remain a plus matchup for strikeouts, and Alcantara has been quite impressive in July. Against the Wyverns, Twins, and Eagles, the right-hander has racked up 23 punchouts over his last 20 innings while allowing just 3 earned runs. He's a fine alternative to Gagnon in tournaments and should have similar upside.
After those two, it's tough to get super excited about anyone else, but southpaw Eric Jokisch ($20; Kiwoom Starting P) deserves a mention as the night's cheapest hurler. He probably has limited upside against the Doosan Bears, but he'll face a slew of lefties in this lineup, which should improve his chances. He's yet to allow more than three earned runs in any of his 13 starts, and the Bears' pitcher-friendly stadium should further help his cause.
Stacks
Ricardo Pinto is coming off a tough outing against the Doosan Bears and should continue to see his ERA rise off lackluster marks in both strikeout rate (11.7%) and walk rate (10.8%). The Lotte Giants might not be the most formidable team to take advantage of, but they also enjoy the most hitter-friendly venue of the slate. It isn't hard to find value to afford the top bats, as Hoon Jung ($9) and Dong Hee Han ($9) are nice deals high in the order, and Chi-Hong An ($10) and Dixon Machado ($11) offer speed upside towards the bottom.
The Samsung Lions also face a low-strikeout pitcher in Sung-young Choi, who has the worst strikeout rate (9.9%) and FIP (6.89) of Tuesday's starters. The Lions' bats are all priced at $11 and below -- no surprises there -- and the NC Dinos' stadium is another spot that leans towards hitting. Tyler Saladino is on the injured list, but Ja-Wook Koo ($11) and Won Seok Lee ($9) have solid pop in the middle of the order, and Min Ho Kang ($7) actually leads the team in dingers (nine) despite batting towards the bottom.
Je-Seong Bae owns a 3.60 ERA, but it isn't backed up by any of his peripheral numbers, and he's yet another pitcher coming in with a double-digit walk rate. The lefties in the top half of the LG Twins' lineup are well-suited to do some damage, and the KT Wiz also have the KBO's worst bullpen ERA (5.95).
The NC Dinos always make the list when they're up against a mediocre pitcher, and even the SK Wyverns could be worth a few one-offs against Adrian Sampson, who just can't seem to find his footing in the KBO.