Tsutomu Watanabe

Tsutomu Watanabe (渡辺 勉)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 8", Weight 165 lbs.

• High School Sendai Ikuei High School

• Born April 25, 1949 in Sendai, Miyagi Japan
• Died May 29, 2023 in Itami, Hyogo Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Tsutomu Watanabe was drafted by the Hankyu Braves in the 5th round of the 1967 NPB draft, and he never got more than 20 at-bats a season in his first seven years. He played 73 games with a .203/.286/.246 batting line in 1975, and he appeared in all six games of the 1975 Nippon Series (he did not bat, as he was a defensive sub at third base for Kiyoshi Morimoto); the Braves beat the Hiroshima Carp. Watanabe played 106 games (though he only had 114 plate appearances) with a .265/.342/.373 batting line in 1976, and he went 6-for-31 in 1977. He only got 4 at-bats in 1978, and he announced his retirement.

Overall, Watanabe hit .219/.306/.333 with 61 hits in 10 seasons in NPB; he only had 318 plate appearances over 369 games.

Sources

• Wiki Japan