Baseball is back! Sorry, not MLB, but we have live-action coming straight from the Korean Baseball Organization and wouldn’t you know it, it is now being offered in DFS formats at both DraftKings and FanDuel.

Now, I would be lying to you if I said that I have been an avid follower of the KBO in the past. However, desperate times call for desperate measures, and I have to tell you, the first few games of this season have been pretty exciting and fill the void currently left by my beloved Oakland A’s.

For now, we will be primarily focusing on value plays on DraftKings. Putting together lineups there is no different than putting together your standard MLB DFS lineup. Their biggest contest for today is a $10 entry with a grand prize of $20k to first place. To build your roster select 2 P’s, 3 OF’s, and one of each of the following positions: C, 1B, 2B, SS, and 3B while staying under the $50,000 salary cap. The scoring format is exactly the same as the classic MLB format. These are primarily five-game slates so you don’t have as deep of a player pool as you would be used to with MLB lineups. The only difference is you likely have no idea who most of these players are. Numbers don’t lie though and you can use the same types of data analysis as you would with MLB as well to find some smash plays.

There are also some solid resources out there to help you build these lineups. The best I have found so far that I have really enjoyed is the free KBO lineup building model over at Occupy Fantasy. These guys have done a solid job of giving you a thorough, yet, user-friendly model that incorporates some key statistics you would want to know for setting your lineups at both DK and FD, including things like park factors and team totals from betting lines which are two of my favorite things to look at for this process. KBO DFS (@DfsKbo) has also been a sharp follow on Twitter.

Before you start blindly shoveling your stimulus check into KBO DFS lineups, there are a few things worth giving you a heads up about. Lineups lock around 4:30-5:30 am EST for KBO and often you won’t get confirmed starting lineups until the middle of the night. Google translate will be your friend but you can find translated lineups on Twitter. The model Occupy Fantasy has also is conveniently automatically updated with either projected or confirmed lineups. The savvy guys are setting alarms for about 4:30 am EST to make sure they’re good to go, so that might be worth doing on your end as well. You can also catch live games on ESPN2 and various Twitch streams.

Now that we have covered the basics, let’s get to the exciting Korean bat-flipping action.

Set Daily KBO Lineups at DraftKings for Your Chance to Win $20,000!

Pitcher

Seung-ho Lee (Kiwoom Heroes) – $8,000
Two of the best options for starters just so happen to be facing each other as 21-year-old Seung ho Lee will lead the Kiwoom Heroes against Min Jae Jang and the Hanwha Eagles. Lee registered just a 4.48 ERA last season for Kiwoom but managed to string together 14 quality starts in 23 games with one complete game shutout according to MyKBOStats.com. He finished the 2019 season strong as well by only allowing one earned run over his last three starts per Rotowire. His .77 K/IP is tied for third-best amongst pitchers on the slate for Friday. Hanwha has a projected team total of just 3.76 runs per Occupy Fantasy which sets Lee up for a rather safe floor and a good bet to pay off his price tag of being priced as just the fifth pitcher for Friday.

Kyung-eun Noh (Lotte Giants) – $6,500
Kyung-eun Noh is in a great spot to kick off his season on Friday as the 3-0 Giants will take on the 1-2 SK Wyverns. A veteran entering his 15th season in the KBO and fourth with the Giants, Noh was last seen with the team in 2018 where he recorded a 4.08 ERA and a career-best 1.19 WHIP over 132.3 IP. He recorded 10 quality starts in 19 games and allowed no earned runs in five of his last 10 appearances that season. It is fair to wonder if there is some rust for him to knock off in this start, but that risk is baked into his price and he will supported by an offense that has scored at least seven runs in each of their first three games.

Outfield

Jae-hwan Kim (Doosan Bears) – $5,300
The Doosan Bears could be a popular play Friday as their projected team total of 5.65 runs is the highest on the slate according to Occupy Fantasy. If they reach or surpass that point, it would mean that Jae-hwan Kim could be a solid play. Kim is looking to bounce back after a down 2019 season that saw him record just 15 home runs. Before last season, Kim had HR totals of 44, 35, and 37 in the three years prior, respectively. He’s only recorded one HR so far this season but has still managed to surpass double-digit fantasy points in two of his three games so far this season. He’s coming off his best fantasy performance of the young season on Thursday where he went 3-for-5 with two runs, a double, and an RBI. Kim is also eligble at first base. Fellow Doosan outfielder Kun-woo Park ($5,100) is also worth a look in this matchup against the KT Wiz who are still looking for their first win of the season.

Ja-wook Koo (Samsung Lions) – $5,100
The Lions had a rough start to the season dropping three straight games against the NC Dinos. They have a shot at getting things on track in their second series of the season, however, as they get ready to host the 1-2 Kia Tigers. What I’m after here with Ja-wook Koo is his .287 isolated power (ISO) which ranks best amongst OF eligible players on this slate and seventh-best amongst hitters overall. Koo will be going up against former New York Mets reliever and minor league prospect Drew Gagnon. Gagnon struggled at the major league level posting a career 7.32 ERA but faired better as a starter in the minors with a 2.33 ERA there last season. While the Lions have boasted one of the worst offenses in the league, Koo is a standout power on the team who is looking to breakout for the first time this season. The Lions also play in one of the most hitter-friendly parks in the league.

Ah-seop Son (Lotte Giants) – $3,600
Ah-seop Son has heated up after a big game on Thursday where he registered his first home run of the season while putting up 21 FPTS on DraftKings. A long-time veteran of the Giants, Son is batting .333 so far on the young season and has knocked in five RBI in his last two games. He’s not a big power guy with just 10 HRs last season, but his .322 career BA gives him a safe floor in fantasy. His 12.3 PPG also ranks third-best amongst outfielders so far this season at DK.

Catcher

Yong-hwan Baek ($2,800) or Seung-taek Han ($3,000) – Kia Tigers
This is one that you may have to watch the lineup for who is starting and who will play. The player I would like to see again is Yong-hwan Baek who had a solid performance on Thursday going 2-4 with one run, double, HR, RBI, and epic bat flip.

Your KBO Bat Flip of the day.

Yong-hwan Baek absolutely LAUNCHES the bat and the ball to tie the game in 8th for the Kia Tigers. pic.twitter.com/iLClkSr7YE

— Connor Newcomb (@ConnorNewcomb_) May 7, 2020

That performance gave Baek 19 FPTS at a position that, like the MLB, is pretty barren when it comes to power hitters. The Tigers will be facing the Lions today and as mentioned earlier, the Lions have one of the most hitter-friendly ballparks in the league.

First Base

Byung-ho Park (Kiwoom Heroes) – $5,400
Park has been one of the best-hitting first basemen in the KBO. He led the league with 33 homers last season and has had over 30 HRs in each of the last six seasons. He started this season off hot going 3-for-5 with two runs, two RBIs, and one HR in the season opener but has cooled since. The heroes have the second-highest implied team total on this slate going up against the Hanwha Eagles. Park is just the fifth-most expensive option at first base for this matchup but could easily be the highest scoring player at the position.

Second Base

Kwang-min Song (Hanwha Eagles) – $3,500
Song has been on a tear to start the season with FPTS of 17, 19, and 13 in his first three games, respectively. His 16.3 PPG leads all 2B eligible players on this slate but he is priced as the eighth. He has eight hits in 12 at-bats so far this season and hasn’t struck out once. Keep riding him while he’s hot and affordable. He’s also eligible at 3B.

Third Base

Jin-hyuk No (NC Dinos) – $3,400
No has homered in back-to-back games putting up fantasy performances of 16 and 21 points respectively. He’s obviously due for some regression there as he’s maxed out at 13 homers in a season in his career in the KBO. A hot bat is still a hot bat though and the 3-0 NC Dinos will now welcome the 1-2 LG Twins.

Shortstop

Dixon Machado (Lotte Giants) – $4,900
Machado had a big season opener where he went 2-for-4 with a homer and four RBIs. He has cooled since and I would honestly like to see his price a tad lower here for a guy batting in the seven spot, but he brings plenty of upside in this matchup against the 1-2 SK Wyverns. Machado’s .350 ISO ranks second-best in the KBO. He had some success at the Triple-A level with the Toledo Mud Hens and was able to crack the opening-day roster for the Tigers as recent as 2018, but failed to stick on a roster. This is his first season in the KBO and he could be looking to make a statement here.

Set Daily KBO Lineups at DraftKings for Your Chance to Win $20,000!

John Ferguson is a featured writer and editor at FantasyPros. For more from John, check out his archive and follow him @FantasyFerguson.