Yoshiaki Watanabe

Yoshiaki Watanabe (渡邊 佳明)

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 5' 10", Weight 147 lbs.

• School Meiji University
• High School Yokohama High School

• Born January 8, 1997 in Yokohama, Kanagawa Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Yoshiaki Watanabe has played in Nippon Pro Baseball.

Watanabe represented Japan in the 2017 Universiade and 2018 Haarlem Baseball Week (hitting .273/.467/.273 as a part-timer, fielding .889), and he hit .314 with 4 Best Nine awards in his college career. He was drafted by the Rakuten Golden Eagles in the 6th round of the 2018 NPB draft; the scout was Masahiko Goseki. He played 77 games with a .225/.274/.284 batting line in 2019, and he hit .235/.258/.318 in 35 games in 2020. Watanabe improved to .273/.351/.323 in 2021, then he recorded a .242/.295/.294 batting line in 60 games in 2022. He batted .372/.437/.416 in the NPB Farm Leagues in 2023, and he led the Eastern League in batting average and on-base percentage. However, Watanabe struggled with the top team as he only hit .143/.222/.143, and he had a .250/.302/.265 batting line in 47 appearances in 2024.

Sources

• Wiki Japan
• 2018 Haarlem Baseball Week