Koki Watanabe

Koki Watanabe (渡邉 恒樹)

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 5' 9", Weight 161 lbs.

• School Tokyo University of Agriculture
• High School Soyo High School

• Born May 17, 1978 in Tokorozawa, Saitama, Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Koki Watanabe pitched in Nippon Pro Baseball for 9 years.

Watanabe was drafted by the newly-founded Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in the second round of the 2004 NPB draft, and he joined their bullpen as a rookie. He had a solid 1.74 ERA in 13 games in 2005, and he pitched 15 games with a 3.06 ERA in 2006. Watanabe then broke out in 2007, collecting 12 holds with a 3.40 ERA in 65 games. He led the Pacific League in appearances, and he tied C.J. Nitkowski for 9th in holds. However, he suffered from a waist injury in 2008, and he only pitched 4 games in 2009. The Golden Eagles traded him to the Yakult Swallows for Yuya Kamada in the middle of the 2010 season, and his ERA was 4.61 in 28 appearances. However, Watanabe's ERA rose to 4.96 in 13 games in 2011 , and he only pitched 4 games in 2012. The Swallows released him after the 2012 season, and he announced his retirement.

Overall, Watanabe was 5-9 with a 4.13 ERA, collected 23 holds in 159 appearances, struck out 85 and pitched 133 innings in 9 years in NPB. His repertoire featured a fastball that peaks at 91.9 mph, a slider, cutter, screwball, shuuto and a curveball.