This article is part of our Dream11 Fantasy KBO series.
SK Wyverns (1-10) vs Kiwoom Heroes (7-5)
Tuesday, May 19, 5:30 AM EDT
Projected starters
RHP Ricardo Pinto (1-1, 3.18 ERA) vs RHP Won Tae Choi (0-1, 2.92 ERA)
Game Preview
The Wyverns have undoubtedly been the league's worst team thus far, posting a 1-10 record after losing their last nine games. The Heroes got off to a strong start but have faded away of late, too. Kiwoom won their previous game, putting an end to their four-game losing streak. In short – both teams are struggling, and both could use a win here to turn things around. The Wyverns will turn to Ricardo Pinto, who was on the mound for their only win, while the Heroes will have to trust in the you arm of 23-year-old Won Tae Choi. Pinto allowed three earned runs in 4.2 innings his last time out, while Choi allowed just two earned runs in 7.1 innings last week. At least from a pitching perspective, the Heroes have the advantage.
Injuries
Byung Wook Lim – Heroes – 10-Day IL – Hamstring
May 17 - Lim (hamstring) is expected to be sidelined 6-to-8 weeks, Jeeho Yoo of Yonhap News reports. The 24-year-old went down during the second game of Saturday's doubleheader with a right hamstring injury, and he may end up spending two months on the injured list. Lim had a .278/.366/.389 slash line with four doubles and three stolen bases through 11 games.
Taylor Motter – Heroes – Out – Not Injury Related
SK Wyverns (1-10) vs Kiwoom Heroes (7-5)
Tuesday, May 19, 5:30 AM EDT
Projected starters
RHP Ricardo Pinto (1-1, 3.18 ERA) vs RHP Won Tae Choi (0-1, 2.92 ERA)
Game Preview
The Wyverns have undoubtedly been the league's worst team thus far, posting a 1-10 record after losing their last nine games. The Heroes got off to a strong start but have faded away of late, too. Kiwoom won their previous game, putting an end to their four-game losing streak. In short – both teams are struggling, and both could use a win here to turn things around. The Wyverns will turn to Ricardo Pinto, who was on the mound for their only win, while the Heroes will have to trust in the you arm of 23-year-old Won Tae Choi. Pinto allowed three earned runs in 4.2 innings his last time out, while Choi allowed just two earned runs in 7.1 innings last week. At least from a pitching perspective, the Heroes have the advantage.
Injuries
Byung Wook Lim – Heroes – 10-Day IL – Hamstring
May 17 - Lim (hamstring) is expected to be sidelined 6-to-8 weeks, Jeeho Yoo of Yonhap News reports. The 24-year-old went down during the second game of Saturday's doubleheader with a right hamstring injury, and he may end up spending two months on the injured list. Lim had a .278/.366/.389 slash line with four doubles and three stolen bases through 11 games.
Taylor Motter – Heroes – Out – Not Injury Related
May 16 - Motter was removed from Kiwoom's entry ahead of the club's doubleheader with the LG Twins, according to nocutnews.co.kr. In what amounts to a temporary demotion for Motter, Kiwoom granted him some personal time to spend with his wife, who went into mandatory quarantine upon entering Korea. Motter will be off the roster for at least 10 days, and in his absence Byung Woo Jeon and Joo Hyung Kim will share the third-base duties.
Tae In Chae – Wyverns – 10-Day IL – Ribs
May 12 - Chae will be out six weeks with a right intercostal injury, KBO analyst Jin-Hyeok Jang reports. Chae has not played frequently for SK this season, but the club will be a bit thin at first base until he recovers from his injury. They should be just fine in his absence, though, as fellow first baseman Jamie Romak has started every game at the position to date.
Nick Kingham – Wyverns – 10-Day IL – Elbow
May 15 - Kingham will head to the injury list with elbow pain, Kyung-yoon Kim of Yonhap News Agency reports. The former MLB pitcher plans to miss a start due to the injury, with southpaw pitcher Seung-geon Baek reportedly set to take his place. Kingham suffered losses during his first two starts, including a devastating outing in which he allowed eight runs to the Twins on May 12.
Jong Wook Ko – Wyverns – Out – Ankle
May 14 - Ko (ankle) is expected to miss about two weeks, Dan Kurtz of MyKBO.net reports. Ko appeared to roll his ankle while catching a flyball early in Wednesday's game. He has been removed from the active roster. Soo Kwang Noh replaced Ko in left field Wednesday, and the Wyverns also have Eui Yoon Jeong and Kang Min Kim at their disposal in the outfield.
Jae Won Lee – Wyverns – 10-Day IL – Thumb
May 7 - Lee exited Thursday's 8-4 loss to Hanwha with a fractured right thumb, Jeeho Yoo of the Yonhap News Agency reports. SK Wyverns has yet to announce a timeline for Lee's return. Lee was hitless in his first two at-bats before he sustained the injury when he was hit by a pitch in his third plate appearance of the day. SK Wyverns will presumably send Lee in for more tests to determine whether surgery is necessary, but even if he avoids a procedure, he appears likely to miss time on account of the injury. Lee's expected absence further thins a weak KBO catcher pool in which the 32-year-old stood out as one of the top fantasy options coming off a 12-homer, 75-RBI 2019 season. Hyun-seok Lee replaced Jae-won in Thursday's game and would presumably be in store for regular work behind the dish while the latter is sidelined.
SK Wyverns Expected Lineup:
SP - Ricardo Pinto
1. Jin Gi Jeong
3. Jeong Choi
4. Jamie Romak
5. Dong Min Han
6. Suk Min Yoon
9. Hyun Jeong
Kiwoom Heroes Expected Lineup:
SP - Won Tae Choi
2. Ha Seong Kim
4. ByungHo Park
7. Hye Sung Kim
Top picks:
Keon Chang Seo, Heroes: Seo is a mid-priced option at 12.5 credits, but he's had a strong season thus far. He enters this game posting a .273/.347/.477 slash line while driving in nine runs and scoring seven times.
Jeong Hoo Lee, Heroes: Lee has been one of the league's best hitters this season, recording a .372/.449/.721 slash line with three home runs and 10 RBI across his first 50 plate appearances. Lee also leads Kiwoom in hits with 16, a number that ties him for eighth in the league.
Dong Min Han, Wyverns: Han has been one of the few steady offensive threats for the Wyverns this season, posting a .351/.429/.811 slash line to go along with five home runs and 11 RBI across 44 plate appearances. He's on a run of back-to-back multi-hit outings. His bat will be key to the Wyverns' hopes of an upset.
Won Tae Choi, Heroes: Choi ranks second among starting pitchers on the Heroes roster with a 2.92 ERA, trailing only the 0.53 mark posted by Eric Jokisch. He has 10 strikeouts and just two walks in 12.1 innings this season and could be in line for a great outing against an offense which has scored a league-worst 3.1 runs per game.
Captaincy Options:
3. Dong Min Han
Dream11 Team
P – Won Tae Choi
C – Dong Won Park
IF – Keon Chang Seo (C)
IF – Chang Pyung Kim
IF – ByungHo Park
IF – Ha Seong Kim
OF – Jeong Hoo Lee (VC)
OF – Dong Min Han
OF – Jin Gi Jeong
