In Monday’s game against the Cotuit Kettleers, Kevin Takeuchi walked twice. Anyone who’s watched even a handful of Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox games this year knows this is business as usual for the utility player.

In his 2026 season at the University of Southern California, Takeuchi ranked fourth in the Big Ten Conference with 44 walks. This season with Y-D, he is tied for tenth in the CCBL in walks (14), and ranks seventh in walk rate (.163) and fourteenth in on-base percentage (.384).

Takeuchi broke down his approach that gets on base with such frequency. One of his notable qualities is that he isn’t phased by high counts or long at-bats against quality pitching, he said.

“I trust myself getting deeper into counts, so as long as I stick with my approach” he said.

Takeuchi plays to his strengths at the plate, one of which is his eye for judging balls and strikes. For Takeuchi, this is a crucial part of being successful at the plate at this level.

“These arms are really good and you’re using wood bats, so it’s going to be hard to get hits on balls that are off the zone,” Takeuchi said.

Takeuchi is also a power-hitter. Last season at USC, Takeuchi hit both often (.314 batting average) and for power (.539 slug) in addition to his recurrent walks. However, when he doesn’t see pitches he thinks he can hammer, Takeuchi lets them go. In doing this, he’s struck a balance between using his power and saving his swing for pitches he can hit.

“I mean, it’s always nice to get hits, but at the end of the day, I’m just trying to get on base and let the other guys behind me score me,” he said. “It’s cool to get those hits for sure, but I just like getting on base too, so I’ll take whatever.”

Takeuchi clarified that he never approaches an at-bat with a plan to walk. His goal is always to hit, no matter how often he walks.

“I definitely try and go up there with a hitter mindset, trying to get my pitch [and] attack balls in the zone. But at the end of the day, if they’re going to throw balls around the zone that aren’t necessarily the pitch I want, I’ll take the walk.”