DFS KBO: Sunday Cheat Sheet

Saturday's slate looked set to be a very high-scoring one, with very few trustworthy starting pitchers available, and while we did see a few rather high scores, we also saw a pair of pitchers' duels. Sung Hwan Yoon and Chad Bell, who entered the game with ERAs of 6.00 and 7.94, respectively, combined to throw 11 scoreless innings, with Yoon's Lions eventually winning 2-0 on Dong Yeop Kim's two-run homer in the top of the ninth. Seung Ho Lee continued his strong recent form, throwing 7.2 scoreless frames to lead the Heroes to a 3-1 victory over the Giants despite Kyung Eun Noh throwing a quality start for the hosts. That result brought the Heroes to within a game and a half of the league-leading Dinos, who got blown out 13-4 by the Twins, with Jae Hak Lee allowing 10 runs while recording just seven outs. Elsewhere, Mel Rojas Jr. went hitless for the third time in four games as the Bears defeated the Wiz 7-5 on pinch hitter Hae Sung Kuk's three-run walkoff homer, while the Tigers' top four hitters combined for 11 hits, nine runs and seven RBI in their 10-3 win over the Wyverns. Sunday's slate, which again looks to be rain-free, features considerably more unreliable arms than reliable ones for the second straight day.

Pitchers

"Reliable" still doesn't really describe Hyun Jong Yang ($9,100), who owns a 5.62 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP, but he's at least trending in the right direction of late. Over his last four starts, he owns a 3.57 ERA while striking out 26 batters in 22.2 innings. On the season as a whole, his underlying numbers are still respectable, as his 19.4 percent strikeout rate and 7.6 percent walk rate both beat the league average. There should still be some upside in a player who finished third in MVP voting last season behind a 2.29 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP, and there's a good chance the veteran southpaw's recent form continues against the ninth-ranked Wyverns lineup.

I've generally not been a big fan of Tae In Won ($9,400), whose solid 3.82 ERA comes with a rather telling 1.51 WHIP. That's not a pitcher I'd ordinarily pay up for as the most expensive arm on the slate, but given the alternatives and given that he gets to face the last-ranked Eagles lineup, he's certainly worthy of consideration. Won's 8.4 percent walk rate is a fine number, but his 13.4 percent strikeout rate caps his upside. He's struck out more than three batters in just four of his 14 starts this season and has never struck out more than six this year. It's not the package you really want in the day's most expensive pitcher, but he should at least have a rather high floor against an Eagles team which has scored a total of six runs in its last four games.

You know the pool is a thin one when Warwick Saupold ($7,600) earns a recommendation. He's been mediocre at best this season, posting a 5.12 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP, and his 13.0 percent strikeout rate gives him a rather low ceiling. He's coming off a pair of poor starts in which he's allowed a total of 12 runs (nine earned) in just 7.1 innings. He's listed here primarily because the five starters cheaper than him are even more unreliable and facing considerably tougher matchups. Saupold at least gets to take on a Lions lineup that has scored three or fewer runs in seven of its last nine games.

Top Targets

Jung Hoo Lee ($5,800) is nearly always worth a look, and that's as true as ever Sunday, when he'll get the platoon advantage against Giants righty Jun Won Seo, who's struck out just 11.9 percent of opposing batters en route to a 4.84 ERA. Lee went hitless Saturday (though he still walked and scored a run), ending a 16-game hitting streak in which he hit .422/.486/.609. On the season as a whole, the 21-year-old's 1.026 OPS makes him the only player not named Mel Rojas Jr. to post a quadruple-digit mark in that category.

The Bears' top lefties should be very much in play against Wiz righty Hyeong Jun So, who is coming off a pair of scoreless outings, but both of those came against the lowly Wyverns. His 12.9 percent strikeout rate and 4.84 ERA are probably more accurate reflections of his abilities. Jae Il Oh ($4,300) comes considerably cheaper than Jose Fernandez and Jae Hwan Kim and has actually been the best of the bunch lately. He's hit a modest 10 homers on the season, not the most impressive total for a first baseman, but three of those have come in his last 10 games, a stretch in which he owns a .344/.447/.656 slash line.

Bargain Bats

Myung Gi Lee ($3,400) isn't anywhere close to being one of the best hitters in the loaded Dinos lineup, but he's one of the team's cheapest everyday players. He's been the team's leadoff hitter while Min Woo Park (hamstring) is out, and his combination of price and role in the league's best lineup is enough on its own to make him worth a look most of the time. He's been very much worth his price over his last 11 games even without considering his role, however, hitting .469/.536/.592. He'll get the platoon advantage against Twins righty Min Ho Lee, whose excellent 2.47 ERA doesn't come close to being backed up by his 16.7 percent strikeout rate and 10.4 percent walk rate, both of which are worse than league average.

The Giants easily could have been one of the stack recommendations in this article, as they'll take on Won Tae Choi, who owns an 8.04 ERA over his last six starts, though a pair of more compelling options as well as the fact that the Giants are heavily right-handed will limit them to just a single mention. Ah Seop Son ($3,500) remains the only lefty to hit anywhere near the top of the Giants' order and looks like a strong play against Choi. His relatively cheap price reflects the fact that he's hit just four homers this season, but he's a very strong contact hitter, posting a .342/.415/.464 slash line.

Stacks to Consider

Tigers vs. Ricardo Pinto: Preston Tucker ($5,900), Hyung Woo Choi ($4,600), Ji Wan Na ($4,100)

Pinto had managed a respectable 3.66 ERA through his first eight KBO starts, but a 1.65 ERA and a 26:24 K:BB suggested regression was imminent. That regression has indeed come, as he owns a 7.77 ERA, a 2.16 WHIP and a 24:28 K:BB over his last nine outings. Zoom into just his last five starts, and the picture gets even uglier, as he owns a 10.03 ERA, a 2.53 WHIP and a 10:17 K:BB over that period. The righty hasn't been even close to decent for quite some time, and even a lineup as unimpressive as the eighth-ranked Tigers' unit shouldn't have any issues putting up big numbers against him.

Tucker hasn't been entirely reliable this season, as he's been prone to his fair share of slumps, he hasn't been in one of those slumps lately, as he's hitting .317/.440/.659 over his last 12 games, scoring 12 runs while hitting four homers. Even with his occasional poor stretches factored in, he's still having quite the year, as he's tied for third with 20 homers and sits fifth among qualified hitters with a .970 OPS. That mark should rise against a pitcher as poor as Pinto.

Choi will follow Tucker out of the third spot in the order and will also get the platoon advantage Sunday. The 36-year-old slugger doesn't seem to be slowing down much in the latter stages of his career, as his .322/.411/.507 slash line gives him an OPS north of .900 for the eighth straight season. His power has dipped somewhat, as he's hit 11 homers so far this season after hitting a modest 17 last year, well below his peak of 33 back in 2015, but he should do more than enough to justify his second-tier price against Pinto, especially given that he has five multi-hit games and a .400 batting average over his last nine contests.

The problem with the Tigers, which has kept them a bubble team at best despite one of the league's best pitching staffs, is that the drop-off after Tucker and Choi has been quite significant. I've listed Na here as the most reliable of the remaining options, though he won't get the platoon advantage, so cheaper (but deservedly so) lefties like Won Joon Choi ($2,400) and Min San Yoo ($3,100) could also merit a look. For Na's part, he's hit a perfectly respectable .288/.383/.453 with 11 homers this season, a big step forward from his .186/.305/.364 line last year. He's been seeing the ball well over his last 20 games, hitting .333/.447/.460 over that stretch while driving in 17 runs.

Twins vs. Sung Young Choi: Eun Sung Chae ($3,800), Hyung Jong Lee ($3,900), Min Sung Kim ($3,800)

Choi's 4.84 ERA and 1.51 ERA aren't terrible, and he's coming off a start in which he allowed just one run in five innings against the Tigers, but that's just about the extent of the positive things that can be said about his season to date. Even in his successful previous outing, he walked six batters while striking out just two. On the season as a whole, he's striking out a pitiful 9.5 percent of opposing batters while walking 12.3 percent. He's also giving up 1.5 HR/9. The underlying numbers could hardly point more clearly to upcoming regression for Choi, and a surging Twins lineup should be set for a big game against the southpaw.

With a lefty on the mound, the stack featured here eschews the expensive lefties Hyun Soo Kim and Roberto Ramos for a trio of cheaper right-handed bats, though Kim in particular is still worth a look for those with the budget room. Chase was sent down to the minors in mid-July after an awful slump in which he hit .093/.204/.140 over 13 games, and the chance to clear his head could hardly have led to better results. He's gone hitless just once in the 16 games since his return, posting a .429/.461/.643 slash line while driving in an incredible 30 runs.

Lee has been hitting seventh of late, making this a rather spread-out stack with number three hitter Chae also included, but the values on both players are high enough that both are worthy of inclusion. Lee missed the early part of the season with a broken hand, but he's hit a strong .323/.396/.586 with six homers in 27 games since his return. He's been on a tear over his last 15 games, hitting .392/.466/.706 with four homers.

Number five hitter Kim doesn't feature here often, but he should be a quality value play against a weak lefty like Choi. He's hitting .343 over his last 19 games, and has been particularly hot over his last four, grabbing a pair of hits in each contest. He doesn't have much power, hitting just three homers in 53 games this season after hitting just eight in 107 games last year, but he's been quite a good contact hitter, posting an overall .306/.360/.428 slash line.