Naoto Watanabe (渡辺 直人, Watanabe Naoto, born October 15, 1980) is a Japanese former professional baseball player who is currently a coach for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He previously played for the Golden Eagles, Yokohama BayStars/Yokohama DeNA BayStars and Saitama Seibu Lions of NPB.
| Naoto Watanabe | |
|---|---|
 Watanabe with the Yokohama BayStars | |
| Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles – No. 26 | |
| Infielder / Coach | |
| Born: October 15, 1980 Ibaraki, Japan | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |
| NPB debut | |
| April 17, 2007, for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles | |
| NPB statistics | |
| Batting average | .259 |
| Hits | 855 |
| Runs batted in | 229 |
| Stolen bases | 115 |
| Teams | |
As player
As coach
| |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Career edit
Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles selected Watanabe with the fifth selection in the 2006 NPB draft.[1]
On April 7, 2007, Watanabe made his NPB debut.
On October 14, 2019, Watanabe become playing batting coach for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of NPB.[2]
On September 12, 2020, Watanabe announced his retirement after the season,[3] and next day he held press conference.[4]
References edit
- ^ "東北楽天ゴールデンイーグルス 選択選手一覧". NPB.jp 日本野球機構 (in Japanese). Retrieved January 9, 2021.
- ^ "新任コーチに関して". 東北楽天ゴールデンイーグルス 公式サイト (in Japanese). October 14, 2019. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
- ^ "渡辺 直人選手 現役引退に関して". 東北楽天ゴールデンイーグルス オフィシャルサイト (in Japanese). September 12, 2020. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
- ^ "渡辺 直人選手 引退記者会見". 東北楽天ゴールデンイーグルス オフィシャルサイト (in Japanese). September 13, 2020. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
External links edit
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference (Minors)
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