Dream11 Fantasy KBO: Wyverns at Eagles

SK Wyverns (23-44) at Hanwha Eagles (17-51)

Sunday, July 26th, 4:00 AM EDT

Projected Starters

RHP Seung Won Moon (2-6, 3.30 ERA) vs RHP Warwick Saupold (5-8, 4.67 ERA)

Game Preview

Both the Eagles and the Wyverns have been struggling this season and, in fact, it seems neither of these two sides are in contention for a playoff spot anymore. Both teams are likely to fight to see which team does not end in last place, but the Wyverns are in a much better spot to accomplish that goal with a 23-44 record, while the Eagles have been the only team to register 50+ losses thus far. The 10-game form also favors the Wyverns – they have gone 6-4 during that stretch, while the Eagles have gone 2-8 in their last 10 contests. The pitching matchup also favors the Wyverns, as Seung Won Moon's 3.60 ERA profiles much better than Wawrick Saupold's 4.67 mark.

Injuries

Eagles

Jin Ho Jung - Out - Knee

7/13 10:21 PM IST - Jung was removed from Hanwha's roster Monday due to a left knee injury, according to chosun.com. Jung was having a good month of July, going 10-for-25 (.400) over 10 games, but he will now miss some time as a result of his injury. It remains to be seen when he will be ready to rejoin the Eagles' roster.

Jin Young Kim - 10-Day IL - Hand

7/8 10:55 PM IST - Kim was placed on the injured list Wednesday with a hand injury, according to chosun.com. Kim left his last outing with a bruised hand, and it was determined he will need several days to rest and recover. Kim has been busy this season, pitching in roughly half the games the Eagles have played, so some time off could help him regain some stamina.

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.

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.

Soo Kwang Noh - 10-Day IL - Ribs

7/15 4:03 AM IST - Hanwha interim manager Won-ho Choi said Tuesday that he doesn't expect Noh (rib) to return from the injured list until around mid-August, Sang-Gyeong Park of The Chosun Ilbo reports. The Eagles initially ruled Noh out for three weeks when he was diagnosed with a fractured right rib June 24, but that timeline apparently wasn't conservative enough. With Noh having yet to resume baseball activities since being shut down, the Eagles have now extended his timetable to rejoin the big club by another month. Even if Noh is cleared for game action by early August, he'll first have to head out on a rehab assignment in the Futures League, which would put him in line to return from the injured list around the middle of next month. After being acquired by the Eagles on June 17, Noh went 7-for-20 with a double and a stolen base in five games before succumbing to the rib injury.

Si Hwan Noh - Out - Not Injury Related

6/22 11:42 PM IST - Noh was removed from the Eagles' roster on Monday, Soo Jin Park of Star News reports. Noh started regularly for Hanwha after being called up in mid-May, but a rough stretch at the plate has his batting average down to .186, so the Eagles decided to send him down to work on some things. It remains to be seen who will take Noh's place in the lineup, but Tae Hyung No appears to be the favorite.

Kwang Min Song - 10-Day IL - Shoulder

7/8 10:48 PM IST - Song was placed on the injured list Wednesday with a shoulder injury, according to chosun.com. Song does not appear to be dealing with a serious injury, but he will need at least a few days to rest and recover, so Hanwha decided to place him on the injured list and free up a roster spot.

Wyverns

Jae Hoon Ha - 10-Day IL - Undisclosed

6/23 12:02 AM IST - Ha was removed from the Wyverns' roster on Monday, Soo Jin Park of Star News reports. Ha was removed from the closer's role last week, and after allowing two earned runs in his first appearance after that, he was taken off the roster altogether. No injury has been reported, but Ha simply has not been himself this year after dominating out of the Wyverns' bullpen in 2019. He will get a chance to iron things out and figures to rejoin the top club at some point down the road.

Eui Yoon Jeong - Out - Not Injury Related

7/11 10:57 PM IST - Jeong was removed from the Wyverns' roster Saturday, according to chosun.com. Jeong was one of SK's top hitters over the last few seasons, but he has had a down year and is just 5-for-31 (.161) over his last 13 games, so the club decided to send him down in an effort to get him back on track.

Jin Gi Jeong - Out - Not Injury Related

6/16 3:31 PM IST - Jeong is not in Tuesday's lineup versus KT, MyKBOStats.com reports. The 27-year-old will be left out as the Wyverns rotate their outfield once more. Jeong hit .156 through the first two weeks of June.

Ji Kwang Kang - Out - Shoulder

6/15 2:22 PM IST - Kang, who has alternated between position player and relief pitcher the last few seasons, will resume pitching in Futures League games Wednesday, Tae Woo Kim of SPOTV reports. Kang converted from pitcher to hitter when he was drafted in 2009, per the Yonhap News Agency, but he never saw much action as a hitter and gave pitching another shot a couple years ago. The move appeared to be a good one, as he allowed just three earned runs in 16.1 innings (1.65 ERA) over his final 15 appearances last season. However, he was plagued by shoulder soreness that sidelined him after mid-June and entered this season as a hitter again. He is now feeling good enough to give pitching another shot, and if all goes well he could be a factor out of the Wyverns' bullpen at some point soon.

Chang Pyung Kim - 10-Day IL - Shoulder

7/8 10:43 PM IST - Kim (shoulder) is playing in Futures League games, according to Tae Woo Kim of SPOTV. Kim did not return in late June as expected, but considering he's at least seeing game action, it shouldn't be long until he is deemed ready to rejoin SK's top club.

Joo Han Kim - Out - Not Injury Related

7/23 9:35 PM IST - Kim was removed from the Wyverns' roster on Thursday, according to chosun.com. Kim's scheduled start this week was canceled due to rain, and interim manager Kyung Wan Park wants to use lefty Seung Geon Baek against the Twins' powerful left-handers next time the No. 5 spot in the rotation comes up, so the Wyverns decided to send Kim to the minors for the time being. Kim is expected to rejoin the rotation after that, but that will not be until sometime in August.

Tae Hoon Kim - Out - Not Injury Related

7/11 2:31 AM IST - Kim was assigned to SK's Futures League team Friday, according to chosun.com. Kim was moved from the rotation to the bullpen in late June, and after a rough relief outing his last time out the Wyverns decided to remove him from their first-team roster for the time being. Kim was one of SK's most-dependable relievers in 2019, so the team will no doubt be hoping a stint in the minors helps him get on track.

Heung Ryun Lee - Out - Shoulder

6/20 1:02 PM IST - Lee was removed from the Wyverns' roster Saturday due to a shoulder injury, according to Soo Jin Park of Star News. It remains to be seen how long Lee will be sidelined, but with SK's starting catcher, Jae Won Lee, being activated from the injured list in the corresponding move, he is in line to fill a reserve role whenever he is ready to play again.

Tyler White - Out - Not Injury Related

7/16 12:15 AM IST - White signed with the Wyverns on Wednesday, Daniel Kim of DKTV reports. White had been with the Los Angeles Dodgers during spring training, but he'll head across the Pacific in search of at-bats after not being included the team's 60-man player pool ahead of the abbreviated season. In an unusual move, the Wyverns will go with two foreign hitters and just one foreign pitcher, as White will take the slot freed up when Nick Kingham was released in early July. White has quite a bit of pedigree compared to the typical foreign hitter in the KBO, as his 98 wRC+ (the product of a career .236/.315/.409 slash line over 859 plate appearances) is highest among that group. The first baseman is presumably still a few weeks from joining his teammates, as he'll have to go through a mandatory 14-day quarantine upon his arrival in Korea.

Wyverns' Expected Lineup

SP - Seung Won Moon

1. Ji Hoon Choi
2. Joon Woo Choi
3. Jeong Choi
4. Jamie Romak
5. Dong Min Han
6. Tae In Chae
7. Jong Wook Ko
8. Jae Won Lee
9. Sung Hyun Kim

Eagles' Expected Lineup

SP - Warwick Saupold

1. Yong Kyu Lee
2. Eun Won Jung
3. Brandon Barnes
4. Tae Kyun Kim
5. Jin Haeng Choi
6. Ju Seok Ha
7. Hae Chang Lee
8. Sun Jin Oh
9. Jang Hyeok Yoo

Top Picks

Jeong Choi, Wyverns: Choi has been one of the Wyverns most productive hitters this season, and he has been particularly successful when facing the Eagles. The star third baseman has hit for .387 with a .565 on-base percentage, three home runs and 12 RBI in 31 at-bats against Hanwha in 2020.

Yong Kyu Lee, Eagles: Similar to Choi's case against Hanwha, Lee has been very successful when facing the Wyverns this season. The Eagles' leadoff man has hit .246 with a stellar .405 on-base percentage and 10 hits in 35 at-bats against SK in 2020.

Seung Won Moon, Wyverns: Moon profiles as the best option for a pitcher spot in this matchup, as he has a strong .3.30 ERA despite a subpar 2-6 record. He has posted nine quality starts in 13 outings during the current campaign.

Dong Min Han, Wyverns: Small-sample size might apply here, as he has registered just 13 at-bats against the Eagles this season. He has posted an impressive .538 average (7-for-13) with three homers and six RBI against them.

Captaincy Options

1. Jeong Choi
2. Yong Kyu Lee
3. Seung Won Moon

Dream11 Team

P – Seung Won Moon (VC)
C – Jae Won Lee
IF – Jeong Choi (C)
IF – Jamie Romak
IF – Ju Seok Ha
IF – Tae Kyun Kim
OF – Yong Kyu Lee
OF – Dong Min Han
OF – Hyun Woo Chae