Ryo Watanabe (infielder)

1.1. Early baseball and education

Watanabe started playing baseball as a third baseman in first grade with the Tsuchiura Sunnies, a soft baseball team. By fourth grade, he transitioned to hardball, joining Ryugasaki Little. In junior high, he moved to Ryugasaki Senior and, in his second year, participated in the National Selection Tournament as a shortstop. Beyond baseball, Watanabe was also a member of the track and field club at Tsuchiura Third Junior High School, where he recorded a time of 11.4 seconds in the 100-meter dash, placing second in the Ibaraki Prefectural Tournament and qualifying for the Kanto Tournament.

1.2. High school career

Watanabe attended Tokai University Kofu High School, inspired by his senior, Shuhei Takahashi, with whom he shared a room in the baseball team's dormitory. He earned a spot on the varsity roster in the spring of his first year. By the summer of his first year, he became the cleanup hitter, batting fourth, and established himself as the regular first baseman, even displacing Takahashi. In the summer of his second year, he participated in the 94th National High School Baseball Championship and hit a home run in the second round against Ryukoku University Heian High School. In his third year, he served as team captain but did not make it to Koshien. In September of the same year, he was selected for the U18 World Cup Japan national team for the 26th AAA World Baseball Championship, where he hit his 39th high school career home run against Cuba. Another notable player, Akito Tahbe, was two years his junior at the same high school.

1.3. Professional draft

In the 2013 Nippon Professional Baseball draft, Watanabe was selected by the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters as their first-round pick. This selection came after the Fighters failed in three previous lottery attempts for other players, namely Yuki Matsui, Yuta Kakita, and Yuta Iwasada. Upon joining the team, he was assigned uniform number 23.

2.1. Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters (2014-2022)

Watanabe spent nine seasons with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters.
In 2016, he hit his first professional home run on September 30 against Chen Kuan-Yu of the Chiba Lotte Marines at Sapporo Dome, a solo shot to right field.
In 2017, Watanabe made his first appearance as an outfielder (specifically, right fielder) during an exhibition game against the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks on March 9. He continued to play outfield in both the first and second squads during the regular season.
The 2018 season saw Watanabe spending the early part in the minor leagues as Kensuke Tanaka, Issei Ishii, and Toshitake Yokoo were primarily used at second base. He was promoted to the first squad in July. On July 20, he hit two consecutive home runs off Rick van den Hurk of the SoftBank Hawks, earning his first home field hero interview. On August 17, against the Saitama Seibu Lions, he hit a home run off Yusei Kikuchi and followed it with another hit in a later at-bat, recording his first multi-hit game. By the end of the season, he had secured the starting second baseman position.
In 2019, Watanabe suffered an oblique muscle strain during spring training, causing him to miss time. He returned to action on March 19 in an Eastern League game against the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. On April 5, he was promoted to the first squad and started as the seventh batter and second baseman against the Seibu Lions, hitting a home run in his final at-bat. He subsequently became a regular, playing in 132 games and reaching the qualified at-bats mark for the first time in his career.
The 2020 season was shortened to 120 games due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Watanabe remained the regular second baseman, playing in 117 games. While his defensive performance showed a decline with a UZR of -13.7 (worse than -5.4 the previous year), his batting thrived, especially against fastballs, hitting .299 with 6 home runs. This performance earned him the nickname "Fastball Destroyer Prince." He achieved career highs in batting average at .283 and on-base plus slugging (OPS) at .725.
In 2021, Watanabe experienced a period away from the team due to a team-wide cluster, but continued as the starting second baseman. However, he struggled offensively, finishing with a .242 batting average and a .636 OPS in 79 games. His performance against fastballs, a previous strength, dropped to a .256 average with 0 home runs. He was demoted to the minor leagues on August 21 for re-adjustment. On September 19, he suffered a right hamstring strain during a minor league game. After rehabilitation, he was re-promoted to the first squad on October 24, with manager Hideki Kuriyama expressing his desire to have Watanabe back for his final games before retirement. On the same day, in a game against the Lotte Marines, he made his first appearance at third base in three years as a substitute and hit a single in his first at-bat since returning. On October 29, he hit a home run against the Lotte Marines, his first in four months. Despite these late-season contributions, his overall performance for the season was 83 games, a .242 batting average, 3 home runs, and 29 runs batted in (RBIs). His contract for the following season was reduced by 5.00 M JPY.
In 2022, Watanabe sought to overcome his long-standing defensive challenges by experimenting with other positions, including first baseman. However, his batting did not improve, and his defensive struggles continued, leading to his demotion to the second squad on August 8 after a weak performance during pre-game fielding drills. With increased playing opportunities for rookie Daigo Kamikawabata, Kotaro Kiyomiya, Yuki Nomura, new foreign player Arismendy Alcántara, Issei Ishii, and Ryota Taniuchi in the infield, Watanabe's playing time diminished. He spent the season moving between the first and second squads, ultimately playing in only 21 games, batting .233 with 0 home runs and 2 RBIs, and a paltry .091 batting average with runners in scoring position. He did not appear in the first squad after August 8.

2.2. Hanshin Tigers (2023-present)

On October 18, 2022, during the offseason, Watanabe was traded to the Hanshin Tigers in a two-for-two trade. He and Yuto Takahama were sent to the Tigers in exchange for Taiga Egoshi and Yukiya Saitoh, who moved to the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. Upon joining the Tigers, Watanabe was assigned uniform number 25.
In 2023, on April 13, Watanabe started as the third batter and third baseman in a game against the Yomiuri Giants. In his second at-bat, he hit a home run, his first hit of the season. He also made several strong defensive plays during the game, earning him a hero interview. Despite playing in only 59 games during the regular season, he started as the seventh batter and designated hitter in Game 1 of the 2023 Japan Series and delivered a crucial go-ahead RBI single off Yoshinobu Yamamoto. On November 20, he signed a new contract with an estimated annual salary of 37.50 M JPY, a decrease of 2.50 M JPY.
In 2024, Watanabe began the season in the minor leagues. However, he was promoted to the first squad on May 15 following the demotion of Teruaki Sato due to a series of errors. He started in the game on May 15 and recorded his first hit of the season. On May 25, his first home run of the season against the Giants proved to be the game-winning hit. On August 13, at Tokyo Dome against the Giants, he hit a game-winning three-run RBI double with one out and the bases loaded in the seventh inning. He remained with the first squad until the end of the season, playing in 67 games, which surpassed his previous year's total. In the offseason, his contract was renewed for an estimated 40.00 M JPY, an increase of 2.50 M JPY, and he expressed his goal to achieve "explosive results" in the upcoming year.

3.1. Batting

Watanabe possesses a powerful swing that allows him to hit for extra bases to all fields. He is notably strong against fastballs, earning him the nickname "Fastball Destroyer Prince" (直球破壊王子_{Chokkyū Hakai Ōji}^Japanese).

3.2. Fielding and baserunning

Watanabe is considered a utility player capable of playing all infield positions, primarily second base, as well as right field and left field in the outfield. He exhibits high athleticism, and at his primary position of second base, he is known for his agile footwork, quick reactions, skilled glove work, and strong arm. However, a persistent challenge throughout his professional career has been his tendency for errors, indicating a need for greater consistency in his fielding. He is also a swift runner, capable of covering 50 meters in 6.1 seconds, and boasts a strong arm with a throwing distance of 344 ft ^{(105 m)}.

4.1. Nicknames and goals

Watanabe's common nicknames include "Nabe" and "Naberyo." His aspirations as a professional baseball player are to become a true "three-tool player" excelling in hitting, running, and fielding. Prior to his professional debut, he stated his goal of achieving a "30-30-30" season, referring to a batting average of .300, 30 home runs, and 30 stolen bases.

5.1. Batting statistics

• Statistics current through the end of the 2024 season.

5.2. Fielding statistics

Watanabe's defensive statistics show his versatility across various infield positions and limited appearances in the outfield.

; Infield

; Outfield

• Statistics current through the end of the 2024 season.

5.3. Firsts

• First appearance and start: September 30, 2014, against the Saitama Seibu Lions (Game 23) at Sapporo Dome, starting as the 8th batter and shortstop.
• First at-bat: Same game, second inning, a swinging strikeout against Ryohei Fujiwara.
• First hit: October 2, 2014, against the Saitama Seibu Lions (Game 24) at Seibu Dome, a single to left field in the sixth inning off Atsushi Okamoto.
• First home run and first RBI: September 30, 2016, against the Chiba Lotte Marines (Game 25) at Sapporo Dome, a solo home run to right field in the second inning off Chen Kuan-Yu.
• First stolen base: August 31, 2018, against the Chiba Lotte Marines (Game 21) at ZOZO Marine Stadium, stealing second base in the third inning (pitcher: Kota Futaki, catcher: Tatsuhiro Tamura).

5.4. Uniform numbers and walk-up music

• 23 (2014-2022)
• 25 (2023-present)
• "pride" by GReeeeN (2014-present)