Mookie Betts' sudden revival could be Dodgers' secret weapon in securing three-peat

The death of Mookie Betts at the plate appears to have been greatly exaggerated. The eight-time All-Star certainly won't be able to consider his 2026 campaign alongside some of his historic performances from years past, but he's put together another strong season after a calamitous start.

Specifically since August 17, he's been one of the best hitters in all of baseball. He leads the Los Angeles Dodgers in all three triple-slash categories (.336/.427/.611), wRC+ (183), home runs (seven), RBI (27), and fWAR (2.0) from that point forward, emerging at a time when the team has gotten all of 71 plate appearances (and a 101 wRC+) from Shohei Ohtani.

Betts isn't a "secret weapon" by traditional standards; his MVP credentials and three World Series rings would certainly beg to differ. But after he struggled mightily a year ago and then followed that up with an even worse encore at the beginning of 2026, having him healthy and in his best groove in years could be the deciding factor in the Dodgers' quest for a three-peat.

Mookie Betts has elevated his own floor and with it, the Dodgers' ceiling

The Dodgers are hardly hurting for production, ranking third in the league in runs scored since mid-August. Even without Ohtani, they can batter opposing pitching staffs with their depth, especially now that Kyle Tucker finally looks interested in participating in this group project.

But more than a rejuvenated Tucker or red-hot Teoscar Hernández, there's something special about Betts in particular getting this hot. He's the fourth-longest tenured player on the roster, surpassed by only Max Muncy and Will Smith among position players. He's been around for each of the three recent championships, posting a cumulative OPS over .800 in those playoff runs.

One of the most selfless superstars you'll ever find, there's a "you go, we go" aura that orbits Betts, especially now that he's reclaimed his rightful spot atop the batting order as Dave Roberts' leadoff hitter. His all-around talents lengthen the lineup to a tremendous degree, something opposing pitchers will really feel once Ohtani is back in the fold.

It's not all perfect, of course. His hard-hit rate even during this hot streak is well below the figures he'd post in his prime, and he's still hitting a few too many balls on the ground. Naturally, all of his expected stats during this stretch fall shy of his actual results, including significant disparities in his slugging percentage (.611 compared to a .458 xSLG) and wOBA (.443 compared to a .374 xwOBA).

Those expected metrics are still leaps and bounds better than we got earlier this season, though, and that's the real takeaway here. Even if Betts can't keep this MVP-caliber charade going through all of October, he's clearly found a more stable baseline level of performance that can still help the Dodgers win.

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