Dream11 Fantasy KBO: Wiz at Eagles

KT Wiz (45-38-1) at Hanwha Eagles (22-63-1)

Friday, August 21st, 5:30 AM EDT

Projected Starters

RHP Min Soo Kim (2-4, 5.88 ERA) vs LHP Chad Bell (0-7, 7.01 ERA)

Game Preview

The Wiz are clearly on the rise and have looked like one of the best teams in the KBO of late, posting a 7-3 record in their last 10 games and moving up to the fifth position in the standings. The same can't be said about the Eagles, however, as they sit dead last in the standings with a 22-63-1 record and are already thinking about 2021 and beyond, while going 2-8 in their last 10 contests. The pitching matchup shows a clear advantage for the Wiz, as Min Soo Kim has a 5.88 ERA that bests Chad Bell's 7.01 mark by a wide margin. Bell has been one of the worst foreign pitchers in the KBO this season and shouldn't be trusted, especially considering the lack of offense support the Eagles tend to give on a game-to-game basis.

Injuries

Hanwha Eagles

Brandon Barnes - 10-Day IL - Hamstring

8/15 3:04 PM IST - Barnes was placed on the injured list Saturday with pain in his right hamstring, Sang Hak Lee of The Chosun Ilbo reports. The outfielder will go on the IL after sitting out back-to-back games for Hanwha. Jong Chan Lim is likely to cover right field while Barnes recuperates from his hamstring injury.

Eun Won Jung - Out - Wrist

8/15 2:49 PM IST - Jung will miss 4-to-6 weeks with a dislocated left wrist, Sang Hak Lee of The Chosun Ilbo reports. The injury came when he was hit by a David Buchanan pitch on Friday. It could mean Jung misses the rest of the season, putting another damper on Hanwha's horrific year. Jung his hitting .248 across 254 at-bats.

Ee Whan Kim - Out - Not Injury Related

6/8 12:54 PM IST - Kim was removed from Hanwha's first-team entry Monday, Young Eun Bae of Daily Sports Backstroke reports. The 19-year-old Kim got off to a good start this season, but he did not make it out of the fourth inning in each of his last four outings, so he will pitch for Hanwha's second team for the time being.

Tae Kyun Kim - Out - Elbow

8/16 2:47 PM IST - Kim was removed from the Eagles' first-group entry Sunday with left elbow inflammation, according to the Yonhap News Agency. Hanwha reportedly demoted the 38-year-old instead of placing him on the injured list. Tae Hyung No joined Hanwha's first team Sunday. Kim struggled by going hitless through his last 16 at-bats.

Bum Soo Kim - Out - Hip

8/17 10:10 PM IST - A target date for Kim (hip) to return to action has not been established, according to OSEN. Kim has not pitched this month as a result of his injury, and while the report seems to indicate he could return at some point, it remains to be seen if and when that will occur.

Seong Yul Lee - Out - Not Injury Related

7/4 11:50 PM IST - Lee was removed from the Eagles roster Friday, according to koreadaily.com. Lee has not been able to get it going at the plate this season, so he will try to find his swing in the Futures League for the second time in the last few weeks.

KT Wiz

Dae Eun Lee - Out - Side

7/3 1:30 AM IST - Lee (side) threw a 45-pitch simulated game Thursday, Taewoo Kim of SpoTVNews.co.kr reports. Lee experienced no side discomfort during the throwing session, so he's expected to join the Wiz's Futures League affiliate as soon as Sunday to begin a rehab assignment. The right-handed reliever has not pitched for the Wiz since May 19 due to the injury, so he may need an appearance or two in the Futures League before rejoining the big club. Once he's activated, Lee could be a candidate to close for the Wiz with Jae Yoon Kim (6.05 ERA, 1.71 WHIP in 19.1 innings) having struggled in that role so far this season.

Kyung Soo Park - 10-Day IL - Hip

8/15 3:16 PM IST - Park was placed on the injured list Saturday because of pain in his left hip, according to OSEN. The second baseman will go on the IL after missing a start Friday. Seung Wook Park is in line to take over for the vet during his absence. Park has not had a multi-hit game since July 2.

Hanwha Eagles Expected Lineup

SP - Chad Bell

1. Yong Kyu Lee

2. Kyung Hak Kang

3. Soo Kwang Noh

4. Jin Haeng Choi

5. Ju Seok Ha

6. Kwang Min Song

7. Jae Hoon Choi

8. Jong Chan Lim

9. Si Hwan Noh

KT Wiz Expected Lineup

SP - Min Soo Kim

1. Yong Ho Jo

2. Jae Gyun Hwang

3. Mel Rojas

4. Baek Ho Kang

5. Han Joon Yoo

6. Jeong Dae Bae

7. Sung Woo Jang

8. Seung Wook Park

9. Woo Jun Sim

Top Picks From Each Team

Mel Rojas, Wiz: Rojas is the biggest candidate to earn the MVP Award in the 2020 KBO season, as the slugger is among the league leaders in most offensive categories throughout the league. Rojas leads the KBO with 29 and also leads the competition in RBI (77) while ranking second in batting average (.361).

Yong Kyu Lee, Eagles: Lee has been one of the most productive players in the Eagles roster this season and, despite the fact he's only hitting .271 in the current month, he should be the player to target to represent the Eagles in this slate. He has a stellar .417 on-base percentage in 48 at-bats during August.

Captaincy Options

1. Mel Rojas
2. Yong Ho Jo
3. Yong Kyu Lee
4. Jae Gyun Hwang

Dream11 Team

P – Min Soo Kim

C – Sung Woo Jang

IF – Jae Gyun Hwang

IF – Ju Seok Ha

IF – Kyung Hak Kang

OF – Mel Rojas (C)

OF – Soo Kwang Noh

OF – Yong Kyu Lee

OF – Yong Ho Jo