Ryo Watanabe (01)

Ryo Watanabe (渡辺 亮)

• Bats Right Throws Right
• Height 5' 9", Weight 152 lb.

• School Doshisha University
• High School Naruto Kogyo High School

• Born February 10, 1982 in Naruto, Tokushima Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Ryo Watanabe pitched in Nippon Pro Baseball for 9 years.

Watanabe was drafted by the Hanshin Tigers in the 5th round of the college & industrial phase in the 2005 NPB draft, but he spent his first season in the NPB Farm League. He had a 2.47 ERA in 53 games in 2007, then he notched 23 holds with a 2.67 ERA in 66 appearances in 2008. Watanabe was 5th in the Central League in appearances (3 behind Tomoyuki Kubota) and 6th in holds (tied with Tetsuya Yamaguchi). He collected 3 holds with a 3.40 ERA in 46 games in 2009, and his ERA was 2.65 in 61 games with 8 holds in 2010. Watanabe ranked 9th in appearances in '10 season, tied with Takehiko Oshimoto.

The Tokushima native notched 12 holds with a 1.98 ERA in 56 games in 2011, and he was still a solid reliever in 2012 as his ERA was 2.06 in 50 games. However, he suffered from a right shoulder injury in 2013, and he only pitched 15 games with a 3.77 ERA. He mainly stayed in the minors in 2014 due to injuries, and he recorded a 4.50 ERA in 14 games in 2015. Watanabe announced his retirement in 2016, and he became a scout for the Tigers. He was named their minor league pitching coach in 2024.

Overall, Watanabe was 15-6 with a 2.64 ERA, collected 60 holds in 362 appearances, struck out 284 and pitched 384 2/3 innings in 9 seasons in NPB.

Sources

• Wiki Japan