is a Japanese former professional baseball player who is currently a coach for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of the Nippon Professional Baseball(NPB). He previously played for the Yokohama BayStars/Yokohama DeNA BayStars and Saitama Seibu Lions of the NPB.
Career
Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles selected Watanabe with the fifth selection in the .
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.
On September 12, 2020, Watanabe announced his retirement after the season, and next day he held press conference.