KBO DFS: Previewing the slate for May 23

KBO on DraftKings is back. I will be covering the weekend 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 Sunday, with lock set at 12:58 a.m. ET. I am here to give you my top KBO DFS pitchers and some stacks to consider.

KBO reminders:

• 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 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. 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).

Slate note: DraftKings took away the big contests, but if you are going to enter multiple lineups I would use a combination of these four pitchers with a priority on Andrew Suarez. If sticking with cash or single entry, Dan Straily comes with some risk, but his salary helps you carve out the rest of your lineup. 

Starting pitcher cash options 

1. Andrew Suarez (LG) — He is the highest-priced pitcher on the slate, but for good reason. His K/9 (10.61), K% (29.8) and WHIP (1.06) are all second in the KBO among qualified starters, and he also owns the lowest ERA. The southpaw’s slider has been eclectic so far to start the KBO season. LG comes in as a massive favorite on the road against the Landers. Lock in Suarez as my highest projected raw point pitcher on the slate.
2. Dan Straily (LOT) — Straily looked like the 2020 KBO version of himself in his last start, fanning 12 Hanwha Eagles over 6 innings and giving up just one hit and three walks for 39.1 DK points and a nice 5x ROI. He has a much tougher matchup this week against the Doosan Bears, but his salary actually went down $200. Yes, I am fully aware that Straily racked up negative DK points his last outing against Doosan, but he has since seemingly returned to form. At $7700 and low ownership, Straily checks in as my No. 2 starting pitcher in both cash and tournament contests. His 25.7 K% still has him in the top five among qualified starters and he is averaging north of one strikeout per inning creating a nice floor (even if Doosan gets a few across the plate).

Other pitching options: Odrisamer Despaigne (KT Wiz), Drew Rucinski (NCD)

Team hitting stack rankings

1. LG Twins  
2. Samsung Lions
3. NC Dinos
4. KT Wiz

Batters in the chart below (top 10 OPS) are always in play if you can afford them. 

OPS leaders

(min. 110 plate appearances)

Data from Fangraphs.com