Shota Watanabe

Shota Watanabe (渡辺 翔太)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 11", Weight 198 lbs.

• School Kyushu Sangyo University
• High School Kita Kyushu High School

• Born October 29, 2000 in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Shota Watanabe has pitched in Nippon Pro Baseball.

Watanabe represented Japan in the 2022 Haarlemse Honkbalweek, going 1-0 with a 5.25 ERA and beating the Netherlands' Chris Stuart. He was drafted by the Rakuten Golden Eagles in the 2nd round of the 2022 NPB draft; the scout was Katsuya Okubo. He notched 25 holds with a 8-3 record and a 2.40 ERA in 51 appearances in 2023, and he was 4th in holds in the Pacific League (tied with Yuki Matsumoto and Takahide Ikeda). He got 20 votes in the PL Rookie of the Year voting, and he was 2nd behind Shunpeita Yamashita's 241 votes. He helped with a perfect game against Team Europe when they played against Japan in early 2024. Nakamori went 7-2 with 12 holds and a 3.04 ERA in 49 games in 2024.