The first week of the Korean Baseball Organization is now in the books. Many people wondered if this would help satiate the baseball appetite for fans around the world in the midst of this pandemic. In my opinion, it has. To any casual baseball fan who has not yet tuned in to the KBO this season, hear this:
The KBO might not be the MLB but baseball is baseball.
My intentions are not to compare leagues or oversimplify the baseball predicament we find ourselves in. Not having the MLB, especially for those in the United States, is difficult at best. The Chicago Cubs and baseball as a whole are part of my life (and have been for 20+ years) as much as any person. Baseball is like oxygen for my family and it dominates discussions and debates among my friends. I miss the MLB dearly and anxiously await its return.
Luckily for us, baseball transcends leagues. If you love the game but didn’t tune in to the KBO last week, I highly recommend you find a way to watch moving forward. ESPN is carrying one game each night, there are former MLB players on each team and most importantly, live competitive baseball is being played.
Are you missing fantasy baseball? DraftKings and FanDuel are offering daily fantasy baseball contests for the KBO! Daily fantasy baseball is an awesome way to learn more about the league, develop a rooting interest and potentially even win some money. The DFS Army has you covered with stats, predictions, coaching analysis, KBO slack chat and a lineup optimizer for DraftKings. Become a member today and use the code CLINK for an extra 20% off.
KBO Pitching vs Hitting
Before we jump into tomorrow’s pitching matchups, it is important to note a new emerging trend. In our “Intro to the KBO” article from last week, we mentioned that the KBO went though a baseball de-juicing process last season. Offensive numbers in 2019 were still higher on average than in the MLB but saw a significant downtick when compared with previous years. However, that pendulum now seems to be swinging back further into offensive bliss again this season.
An argument can be made that de-juiced baseballs in the KBO are no longer a thing (or at least less of a thing) in 2020. Take a look at these numbers:
2019 | 2020 KBO League Offense Comparison
Batting Average: .267 | .272
ERA: 4.18 | 5.11
Home Runs: – 1.41/game | 2.26/game
The sample size is only one week for 2020 but things have clearly been different so far. You can use that trend to your advantage in daily fantasy baseball by rostering more power hitters. To this point, home runs have been king in KBO DFS.
Pitching Statistics for Today’s Starters
All but one of today’s starters (Jang Won-sam) will be making their second appearance of 2020:
Here is a look at how each pitcher performed in the KBO last season (Kingham, Despaigne and Brooks made KBO debuts 2020 after playing in MLB – see breakdown below for their stats):
Pitchers and Picks
Pitchers are sorted by DraftKings price. Each pitcher breakdown will include name, team, price (DK | FD respectively), matchup (opposing offense 2020 stats/league rank), notes and format (ALL/GPP/CASH/FADE). *Opposing offense stats are ranked from 1st (best in league) to 10th (worst in league).
Drew Rucinski
Team: NC v KT
Price: $9,200 | $26
Matchup: .301 Batting Average (2nd) | .807 OPS (4th) | 30 SO (2nd) | 14 BB (8th)
Notes: Rucinski was solid in his 2020 debut – 6IP/0R/3H/6K/4BB. The 4 walks aren’t great, but overall he carried over momentum from last season when he finished as one of the best pitchers in all of the KBO. As for 2020, FanGraph’s ZiPS projection has Rucinski finishing in the top 10 for ERA. The KT offense has looked good to start the year and Rucinski is pricey on both sites but I think he still makes for a solid option tomorrow.
Format: CASH
Eric Jokisch
Team: KIW v SAM
Price: $8,700 | $25
Matchup: .199 Batting Average (10th) | .670 OPS (10th) | 48 SO (10th) | 29 BB (1st)
Notes: Jokisch looked strong in his first start – 5IP/1R/5H/4K/1BB. Like Rucinski, Jokisch was a top-tier pitcher in 2019 when he struck out 141 batters in 181 innings and had a WHIP of only 1.13. ZiPS is projecting him to finish in the top 10 with ERA and K/9 in 2020. This is a premium play across the board that checks all of the boxes. He even comes in at a slight discount from Rucinski.
Format: ALL
Odrisamer Despaigne
Team: KTW v NCD
Price: $8,200 | $22
Matchup: .278 Batting Average (5th) | .871 OPS (1st) | 33 SO (4th) | 23 BB (3rd)
Notes: Despaigne was another pitcher that turned in a great first outing – 6IP/1R/4H/8K/oBB. It appears his abysmal 2019 in the MLB with the White Sox didn’t show up in KBO debut. Despaigne does not appear on ZiPS 2020 projections for top 15 ERA (understandably) but he does rank 14th for projected K/9. The strikeout upside is there but the Dinos are a dangerous offense. My recommendation is to find the money to upgrade to Jokisch but Despaigne is tournament-viable – especially on FanDuel where he is the 3rd cheapest pitching option. I personally like the NC Dinos as a sneaky stack option tonight.
Format: GPP (FD)
Nick Kingham
Team: SK v LG
Price: $7,900 | $24
Matchup: .281 Batting Average (5th) | .832 OPS (3rd) | 34 SO (5th) | 18 BB (5th)
Notes: Kingham turned in a quality start during his KBO debut last week – 7IP/3R/6H/4K/2BB. He actually had some success during his last MLB season with the Pirates (3.00 ERA in 21 innings) but wasn’t able to secure a long-term spot in their bullpen. Kingham is expected to give up his fair share of runs but ZiPS is projecting him to finish 2nd overall in K/9. He makes for another solid option today.
Format: ALL
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Cha Woo-chan
Team: LG v SK
Price: $7,700 | $20
Matchup: .247 Batting Average (9th) | .699 OPS (9th) | 37 SO (6th) | 10 BB (10th)
Notes: Add Cha Woo-chan to the list of pitchers with great opening numbers – 6IP/1R/3H/7K/2BB. His 4.12 ERA and 124 strikeouts in 168 innings in 2019 were solid but he is prone to control issues and giving up hits in bunches (1.43 WHIP). ZiPS does not list him in their top 15 for projected 2020 ERA but he does come in at 11th overall for K/9. The SK Wyverns have a capable offense but have found themselves toward the bottom of the league in almost every category so far in 2020. He’s a good tournament option with high upside on both sites but especially on FanDuel where he is the cheapest pitcher on the slate.
Format: GPP
Aaron Brooks
Team: KIA v HAN
Price: $7,500 | $21
Matchup: .273 Batting Average (6th) | .701 OPS (8th) | 35 SO (6th) | 15 BB (6th)
Notes: Brooks had to like his KBO debut last week – 5.2IP/1R/5H/6K/0BB. He is not going to blow hitters away with his stuff and does pitch to contact. The matchup for him is good but I think he is overpriced in comparison to his potential ceiling (which I think we saw opening day). Just find the $400 for Kingham on DK (cash) and $200 for Cha (gpp).
Format: CASH FD | FADE DK
Raul Alcantara
Team: DOO v LOT
Price: $7,200 | $24
Matchup: .295 Batting Average (3rd) | .848 OPS (2nd) | 32 SO (3rd) | 15 BB (6th)
Notes: Alcantara battled through his first start of 2020 and ended up with a quality start despite some of his struggles – 6IP/3R/6H/3K/2BB. He gave up a home run and never quite settled in. He doesn’t walk or strikeout many and pitches to contact. The Lotte Giants, led by Dixon Machado, have been arguably the hottest team in the KBO to start the year. All things considered, I can’t good reason to roster him tomorrow. On the flip side, some people think the Lotte offense is significantly over-performing and will see a drop in production soon. Could this be the game? Personally, Alcantara is not cheap enough and doesn’t have the upside to take that risk.
Format: FADE
Ben Lively
Team: SAM v KIW
Price: $6,900 | $22
Matchup: .255 Batting Average (8th) | .762 OPS (7th) | 42 SO (8th) | 23 BB (3rd)
Notes: Lively struggled in his 2020 debut – 6IP/4R/6H/6K/3BB. He also gave up 2 home runs. It seems this outing could be more of an outlier when you compare it with 2019 numbers. He struck out 58 batters in 57 innings and finished the year with a 3.95 ERA and 1.12 WHIP. He does not register on any of ZiPS 2020 top 15 projection lists but there is definitely upside at his price. The opposing offense has struggled to start 2020 but does project to be one of the best. Home runs can be an issue for Lively but he makes for a great tournament play if he can find a way to keep the ball in the park.
Format: GPP (medium-risk, high-upside)
Kim Min-woo
Team: HAN v KIA
Price: $6,400 | $23
Matchup: .282 Batting Average (4th) | .796 OPS (6th) | 43 SO (9th) | 24 BB (2nd)
Notes: Kim pitched 4.1 innings out of the bullpen in his first 2020 appearance, surrendering 3 runs on 3 hits (2HR) while striking out 5. He picked up right where he left off from his disappointing 2019 season. It is worth noting that Kim did show strikeout upside in his first appearance and his opponent strikes out 2nd most of any team in the league. I wish he was cheaper. It’s hard to justify taking the risk on him with Lively being only $500 more on DK ($3 on FD) and having a higher ceiling.
Format: GPP/FADE
Jang Won-sam
Team: LOT v DOO
Price: $4,000 | $22
Matchup: .278 Batting Average (6th) | .871 OPS (1st) | 33 SO (4th) | 23 BB (3rd)
Notes: Jang is a journeyman starting for his 6th career KBO team this season. He appeared in 8 games (3 as a starter) last season and finished with 7.98 ERA and 1.57 WHIP. If his recent production isn’t convincing, he matches up against one of the best teams in the league (Doosan). He is only playable if you are in desperate need of salary.
Format: GPP/FADE
Glossary
OPS (On-base plus Slugging)
SO (Strikeout)
K/9 (Strikeouts per 9 innings)
BB (Walk)
ERA (Earned Run Average)
WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched)
IP (Inning Pitched)
R (Run)
DK (DraftKings)
FD (FanDuel)
KBO (Korean Baseball Organization)