KBO DFS: Previewing the slate for May 1

KBO on DraftKings is back. I will be covering the weekend DFS slates this season and each KBO article will be FREE at FTNDaily. If you like this article, make sure you check out all of our daily MLB DFS coverage from the best team in the industry. DraftKings is offering a five-game KBO slate Saturday morning, with lock set at 3:58 a.m. ET. I am here to give you my top KBO DFS pitchers and some stacks to consider.

KBO reminders:

• There are only 10 teams in the KBO, so these teams will play each other 16 times. Games are played daily in series of 2-3, with an off day on Monday (our Sunday night).
• Each team can have up to three foreign players, with a maximum of two foreign pitchers. Majority of these players are former MLB and MiLB players.
• One of the biggest advantages is waking up 30 minutes before lock and checking weather and starting lineups (especially during the week when games start at 5:30 a.m. ET). Starting lineups don’t come out until 30 minutes before lock. Having a plan for quick pivot options and glancing at weather updates is key.
• Please make sure to check my twitter (@DFSchaser) for more thoughts and any updates as the day progresses. Starting pitchers are only projected and could change from the time this article is written to when teams make announcements.
• Rain and PPD Updates: Check KBO’s official twitter page and/or the weather 30 minutes prior to lock (just set your Weather Channel app to Seoul, South Korea, and overlay using this map, courtesy of batflipsandnerds.com, to look at which games are likely to play).

Starting pitcher rankings 

1. Wes Parsons (NCD) — Parsons is only sporting an 18.8 K% this season through three starts, but his last start really impressed me as he limited the explosive Doosan Bears to two hits through 6 innings. On Saturday morning he takes on the struggling Kiwoom Heros. Kiwoom is batting .243 as a team and is still trying to figure out the top of their order after Byung Ho Park went on the IL this week. Parsons throws his sinker and slider each about 35% of the time keeping hitters off balance and keeping the ball on the ground. Parsons is my cash game SP1. It’s not sexy, but it's safe.
2. Nick Kingham (HAN) — The Hanwha Eagles have taken their rightful place at the bottom of the KBO, but it is in no way a reflection on Kingham’s arm so far this season. A 23.3 K% and 1.15 WHIP have been impressive in his first four KBO starts. The reason he isn’t my SP1 here is his HR/9 rate, which sits at 1.38 and the (lack of) offense behind him. I expect Kingham to give up some hard contact to Jun Woo Jeon and company via his 92 mph fastball, but overall this is a plus matchup especially if he can get ahead in the count and rely on his curveball (24 whiff% in MLB) and changeup (27 whiff%) to rack up a few strikeouts. I have him projected for a floor of 12.9 points and a ceiling of 26.8. SP2 in all formats.

Other cash options: Aaron Brooks (KIA)

Team hitting stack rankings

1. SSG Landers
2. LG Twins — Yun Soo Kim making a spot start, won’t go more than 3 innings.
3. NC Dinos
4. KIA Tigers
5. Samsung Lions — Less than ideal matchup, but they have been on fire to start the year.

Stack of the night: Give me all the SSG Landers. The opposing pitcher, Been Gwak, is making his first KBO appearance since 2018 when he had a 1.97 WHIP and 1.93 HR/9 out of the bullpen in 32 appearances. I am starting with Jeong Choi, Shin-soo Choo and Jaime Romak and building my lineups from there. (Note: Joo Hwan Choi is out with a hamstring injury.)

OPS leaders (min. 40 at-bats)