[Buffaloes Inside] Haruto Watanabe leads the team with his improved batting. “I think Tomoya Mori is the most surprised by Home Run.” | Pacific League

[Buffaloes Inside] Haruto Watanabe leads the team with his improved batting. “I think Tomoya Mori is the most surprised by Home Run.”

Baseball King

April 26, 2026 23:34

Haruto Watanabe of Orix Buffaloes Buffaloes is leading the team with a career-high performance in hit, Home Run, and stolen base.

“I think the person most surprised (by me hitting three home runs) is Mori-san (Tomoya). Last season he said, ‘If I hit home run while I’m still playing, I’ll do whatever you want’ (laughs).” Watanabe smiled shyly.

Watanabe joined Orix Buffaloes in 2021 as the 4th pick in the draft, after graduating from Kirigaoka High School (Kanagawa) and Keio University. He showcased his speed and wide defense range, and in 2022, he was the only rookie fielder to make the opening day roster. In his third year, he played in 65 games, with 12 hits At Bat 66 hit, 2 RBI, and a batting average of .182. He was used as a pinch runner and defense substitute, but his hitting remained a challenge, and he was unable to secure a regular position.

He had a proven track record of hitting: he led hitter the 2021 college championship with a .563 batting average, and in the fall of his senior year, he hit .359 in league play. However, he was unable to take advantage of the few opportunities he had in the pros. Home Run Moritomo’s comment about Watanabe’s talent may sound like he was making fun of him, but he was giving him a pep talk because he recognized Watanabe’s talent.

In fact, during last year’s autumn training camp, Watanabe was invited to dinner by Moritomo, who pointed out to him, “What are you lacking?” Amidst the harsh words, he learned about Moritomo’s compassion and the importance of honing his batting skills in order to survive as a professional. Moritomo continued, “If we had a regular player like you who is fast and has a wide defense range, it would be a great help to the team,” and Watanabe vowed to win a regular position.

At the fall camp, during individual training, he and Moritomo faced the hitting machine at the indoor practice field until the sun went down. He also received advice on form with the head of the bat in mind, which he put into his body. Ryo Ota During his voluntary training in January, he worked out with the players in Matsuyama. The two of them are very clear in their advice. They would say, ‘This is what I do when I’m in this kind of situation,’ or ‘This is what I do when I’m in a bad situation. I often asked them how I could change from this bad shape to a better one,” said Watanabe.

Regarding his current success, Moritomo said, “He has such a wide defense range and a strong arm. As catcher, it’s a great help to have a player like him who also has speed. I told him that if he could hit with that, he would be invincible. He’s still helping me out defense.” Ota added, “He was already hitting well in the farm league, so I figured he would hit if he got the chance to play. It was just a matter of whether he could seize the opportunity in crucial games. His hitting distance had clearly increased since his offseason training, and he had more power,” suggesting that his leap forward is a result of his talent and hard work coming together.

Keizo Kawashima, the first-team hitting coach, also commented, “I feel that his hitting has improved compared to last year. He is leading and supporting the team.” Manager Mamoru Kishida also praised him, saying, “You can really see that he is trying to do something (at the plate). You can see that he is desperately trying to make something happen.”

When asked about the reasons for his good form, Watanabe said, “I’m able to organize my thoughts before the game starts and before I step up to bat, so I don’t think I get flustered at the plate.” He added, “As I’ve had more at-bats, I’ve learned not to get too emotionally invested.” He believes that the composure that comes with experience is producing good results.

He changed his bat this season. He adopted a bat with a grip shape that makes the hands heavier, and also changed the material. Combined with being able to swing with more power, his hitting distance has also increased, and in the game Nippon-Ham on the 26th (Kyocera Dome), he hit his 3rd home run, a 3-run homer, which was tied for second on the team behind Yuma Mune So’s 4 home runs, and greatly contributed to the team’s 11th consecutive home win.

His goal for this season is to play in 100 games. “I don’t think I can reach that goal just by coming on as a substitute (to strengthen defense), so I’ve set my sights on playing in many games as starting line-up. I’ll do my best every day to achieve it.” Watanabe, who doesn’t show his emotions and doesn’t get carried away by every little thing, is quietly burning with determination.

Interview and text by Masaki Kitano