Wait, someone passed Ohtani in Hitter Power Rankings?

Just call August the Month of Mookie.

On Thursday night, the Dodgers will close out August against the Braves and close the book on a spectacular 31 days for their superstar leadoff man. What has Mookie Betts done in August? Put up absurd numbers at the plate, split time between two positions (right field and second base), led his club on a season-altering hot streak and vaulted himself into serious consideration for the NL MVP Award.

And now, one more feat. Betts has climbed to the top of our Hitter Power Rankings, winning a close vote over Shohei Ohtani, who had grabbed the No. 1 spot in each of our five previous polls. It’s the first time our MLB.com panel placed someone other than Ohtani first since a .400-chasing Luis Arraez got that honor back in early June.

As always, our panel considered a combination of track record, season-long excellence and recent performance in casting their votes. Here is a look at the latest edition of the Hitter Power Rankings, with all stats through Tuesday’s games.

1) Mookie Betts, Dodgers (Last poll: 5)

Betts had a perfectly solid March/April that was a bit subpar by his lofty standards (.781 OPS). But he was already playing at an MVP level from May-July, with a combined line of .292/.394/.606 and 23 home runs. That makes it all the more ridiculous that he has taken it to an even higher level in August. Betts entered Wednesday at .452/.509/.808 with nine big flies and 26 RBIs this month. He now ranks second in the Majors to Ohtani in wRC+ (174) and first in WAR as a position player (7.5, per FanGraphs). Where can he go from here?

2) Shohei Ohtani, Angels (1)

Ohtani didn’t lose the No. 1 spot here; Betts just took it. While August was massively disappointing for Ohtani in terms of his present and future as a pitcher as well as for the Angels as a team, Ohtani the DH just kept chugging along. Thanks to another strong month, he still leads the Majors in triples (tied with eight), homers (44), slugging (.664) and OPS (1.074), and remains on pace for just the fifth 50-20 season in MLB history.

3) Ronald Acuña Jr., Braves (3)

Like Ohtani, Acuña has done nothing to lose ground to Betts -- here or in the NL MVP race. He owns an OPS above .900 in every month this season and leads the Majors in hits (177), OBP (.417), steals (61) and runs scored (119). His next homer will make him the first 30-60 man in MLB history.

4) Freddie Freeman, Dodgers (4)

Over the previous 86 seasons, five players launched 60 homers in a season a total of eight times. Zero players in that span notched a 60-double season. But Freeman, who entered Wednesday with 50 two-baggers -- 13 more than anyone else -- has a legitimate chance to end that drought.

5) Julio Rodríguez, Mariners (not ranked)

It’s usually difficult at this point in the season to significantly change your season-long batting line in a short period of time. So consider this: Heading into an Aug. 4 game against the Angels, Rodríguez was slashing .248/.310/.414. Just 25 days later, he was up to .286/.346/.482. That’s what happens when you pile up 43 hits over 20 games, including five four-hit efforts.

6) Matt Olson, Braves (2)

Since the franchise moved to Atlanta, only one Braves player (Andruw Jones in 2005) has led the Majors in home runs. Olson, just one dinger behind Ohtani, could make it two. Since June 15, Olson is slugging .715.

7) Bryce Harper, Phillies (not ranked)

Finally, Harper cracks the Hitter Power Rankings for the first time in 2023. Of course, the two-time NL MVP Award winner didn’t make his season debut until May 2 after rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, and it took him awhile to recapture his form. Now, though, the power stroke is fully operational.

8) Corey Seager, Rangers (7)

Despite missing significant time due to injury, Seager is closing in on having enough plate appearances to qualify for league leaderboards. The AL batting title is Seager’s to lose, and he entered Wednesday at .345 -- just five points behind the MLB leader, Arraez.

9) Bobby Witt Jr., Royals (10)

Coming into 2023, the only players 23 or younger to record a 30-30 season were Bobby Bonds, Jose Canseco, Alex Rodriguez, Mike Trout and Acuña. Witt, Julio Rodríguez and Corbin Carroll all have a shot at joining the list down the stretch.

10) Yandy Díaz, Rays (not ranked)

While Díaz cooled a bit after a red-hot March/April, he’s provided stellar production all season long for Tampa Bay. Díaz is batting .336 since the All-Star break and ranks fifth overall among qualified hitters with a 158 wRC+, trailing only Ohtani, Betts, Freeman and Acuña.

Others receiving votes: Kyle Tucker (Astros), Cody Bellinger (Cubs), Jose Altuve (Astros), Marcell Ozuna (Braves), Ryan Mountcastle (Orioles), Kerry Carpenter (Tigers)

Voters: David Adler, Brett Blueweiss, Paul Casella, Doug Gausepohl, Thomas Harrigan, Sarah Langs, Travis Miller, Ricardo Montes de Oca, Brian Murphy, Sweeny Murti, Manny Randhawa, Efrain Ruiz, Shanthi Sepe-Chepuru, Andrew Simon, David Venn