Reflecting on each MLB team 1 month into the season

At the official one-month mark of the 2019 season, theScore reflects on all 30 clubs.

Arizona Diamondbacks: Parting with their franchise first baseman was never going to be easy, but the early dividends on Luke Weaver seem very promising. The right-hander has a 2.56 FIP through 27 innings, striking out 27.3 percent of batters and walking a paltry 5.3 percent.

Atlanta Braves: Don't look now, but the Braves actually lead their division in run differential. The NL East was always going to be a dogfight, and the opening month has indicated nothing to the contrary; first and fourth are separated by 1 1/2 games. One anomalous early-year factor has been Josh Donaldson, who has four extra-base hits during Sunday games and seven on any other day of the week.

Baltimore Orioles: The Orioles have been what everyone predicted they would be. Their minus-47 run differential ranks last in the American League and they boast an abysmal 3-10 record at home. If there's one saving grace, it's that Trey Mancini might have rediscovered his power stroke. The outfielder/first baseman struggled in his sophomore season last year but has quietly collected six homers and a .606 slugging percentage through 26 games in 2019.

Boston Red Sox: The reigning champs seemed to completely lose it to start the season, largely due to a championship hangover in their starting rotation. Over the last two weeks, though, Boston's starters have settled it down with a 27.8 percent strikeout rate - good for first in the AL over that span. Eduardo Rodriguez, David Price, and Chris Sale have all posted swinging-strike rates greater than 13 percent over the past 14 days.

Chicago Cubs: After an ice-cold start to the season, the Cubs have quickly righted the ship, putting together a 9-3 stretch. The turnaround has been largely due to Javy Baez, whose 1.147 OPS ranks among the league leaders over the past two weeks. The bullpen still has work to do, though, with Brandon Kintzler the only reliever who has consistently looked decent.

Chicago White Sox: Carlos Rodon has been nothing short of spectacular, finally living up to the astronomical hype that has followed him since he was drafted third overall in 2014. The left-hander's walk rate is still high, but he's missing bats with impunity, striking out over 11 batters per nine innings.

Cincinnati Reds: Luis Castillo has seemed to be on the precipice of stardom ever since he debuted in 2017. The 26-year-old has now cemented himself as the Reds' staff ace, flaunting an ungodly 1.23 ERA and 2.51 FIP through six starts.

Cleveland Indians: The incumbent AL Central winners are becoming the definitive case study for why resting on laurels is such an incredibly bad idea. Through the first month, they have the worst slugging percentage in baseball, with Carlos Santana decisively leading the offense. If Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez can't right this ship, Minnesota might be good enough to end the Indians' run as division champs.

Colorado Rockies: Whatever is wrong with the Rockies needs to be diagnosed soon if the team plans on staying in the wild-card hunt. It's early, but Colorado's minus-15 run differential is the worst in the division and a recent 8-2 run hasn't pulled them out of the basement yet. They're the worst hitting team in baseball by wRC+ and are swinging and missing more than any other team; Trevor Story, Raimel Tapia, and David Dahl are the only players hitting above league average.

Detroit Tigers: Heading into the season, it seemed likely that Casey Mize was the best pitcher the Tigers had. But Matthew Boyd has fully arrived, boasting a 31 percent strikeout rate. And it's not just because he's facing dismal AL Central lineups, as four of his five starts have been against non-division opponents.

Houston Astros: Unsurprisingly, the Astros once again have the best offense in baseball, and it's been a complete team effort. Of their seven qualified hitters, Josh Reddick leads the way with a 162 wRC+, and Yuli Gurriel trails with a 92 wRC+; nobody has been unbelievable, but no one has been below the league average.

Kansas City Royals: Heading into the end of April, the Royals have been as advertised: a rebuilding team with some exciting baserunning. The club leads all of baseball with 28 stolen bases despite a pretty mediocre 71.8 percent success rate. Billy Hamilton alone has more steals than five different teams. Adalberto Mondesi and Whit Merrifield together have more triples than the Indians, Marlins, Red Sox, Brewers, White Sox, and Yankees combined.

Los Angeles Angels: The hitters have been worth 2.8 WAR collectively, according to FanGraphs, with 1.9 coming specifically from Mike Trout. In other words, Trout has been worth nearly triple the combined value of the other hitters on his team. It's a good thing they extended him this offseason.

Los Angeles Dodgers: Cody Bellinger stormed onto the scene in 2017 with 39 home runs and followed it up with a respectable sophomore season that largely failed to build on the hype. Now, the 23-year-old seems to be blooming into a true MVP candidate, mashing 12 home runs through his first 26 games and dropping his strikeout rate by more than 50 percent.

Miami Marlins: There's no getting around it, this team is terrible. But the starting rotation has some exciting pieces and ranks fifth in the league by FIP. Caleb Smith continues to prove himself with a 2.17 ERA through five starts, and Pablo Lopez seems to be improbably blooming into a stud with a 2.81 FIP through the first five starts of his career.

Milwaukee Brewers: As it turns out, Christian Yelich is, in fact, the second coming of Barry Bonds. Dating back to last year's All-Star Game, the outfielder has authored a .356/.446/.776 slash line with 38 home runs - a 68-homer pace. It certainly feels like regression is due, but the reigning NL MVP just keeps slugging.

Minnesota Twins: Early in the month, Jorge Polanco became the first player to hit for the cycle in 2019. The infielder has stayed hot since then, authoring a .366/.424/.695 slash line with five homers, pushing the Twins into a tie for first place in the AL Central with presumptive favorite Cleveland.

New York Mets: Signs point to regression for the Mets unless the pitching staff can get it together and start preventing runs. By ERA, the relief corps - which was slated to be elite - ranks third-last. Edwin Diaz has lived up to the hype, but the play of Jeurys Familia and Luis Avilan has been nothing short of a nightmare; they've posted 5.06 and 10.00 ERAs, respectively.

New York Yankees: Despite having a better team on the injured list than on the field, the Yankees find themselves 14-11 and winners of six of their last seven. That's due in large part to James Paxton, who has met and exceeded all expectations thus far. The left-hander owns a 36.8 percent strikeout rate over five starts, trailing only reigning AL Cy Young winner Blake Snell.

Oakland Athletics: It's time to believe Matt Chapman is not just an elite defender, but a legit hitter too. Offseason shoulder surgery caused some trepidation, but the third baseman has posted a .311/.407/.633 slash line with eight homers.

Philadelphia Phillies: For a team that underwent a remarkable face-lift this winter, it's been a predominantly unremarkable opening month. The Phillies are middle-of-the-pack in pretty much every capacity. They've hit 32 home runs; that ranks 15th in MLB. Their .245 batting average is 16th, and their .420 slugging sits 17th. That said, Cesar Hernandez has been their only below-average hitter by wRC+, indicating a level of consistency that should bode well for the future.

Pittsburgh Pirates: The Pirates were hanging in to start the season but are on a tough skid as losers of their last five. Their minus-14 run differential is in a dead heat with the division-rival Brewers, but that's probably more an indictment of Milwaukee than an endorsement of Pittsburgh. The starting rotation has been elite at preventing runs, though, as its collective 2.45 ERA leads the Senior Circuit.

San Diego Padres: They're not a contender this year, but they're putting together a season exciting enough to not only get folks to the ballpark but provide hope that contention is around the corner. The future is already partially here with the arrivals of Fernando Tatis Jr. and Chris Paddack, and more reinforcements are coming once MacKenzie Gore and Luis Patino mature into big-leaguers.

San Francisco Giants: Quick, can you name the best bullpen in baseball? Don't think too hard, because it belongs to the Giants. By both ERA and FIP, the San Francisco 'pen has been absolute nails and boasts pretty impressive depth with Will Smith, Mark Melancon, Nick Vincent, Trevor Gott, and Reyes Moronta.

Seattle Mariners: After selling off a ton of assets and assembling a team of misfit toys, the Mariners have the second-best offense in baseball through the first 30 days. Leading the charge has been Mitch Haniger - around whom the team openly wanted to build - as well as 26-year-old DH prospect Daniel Vogelbach, catcher Omar Narvaez, and perpetual reclamation project Tim Beckham. Is it sustainable this time around?

St. Louis Cardinals: Through the opening month of the season, the Cardinals boast the fourth-most potent offense in baseball by wRC+. The acquisition of Paul Goldschmidt has certainly helped, but Paul DeJong building on his 2017 rookie form is a welcome development as well. The 25-year-old shortstop has an impressive 1.024 OPS and is making way more contact than he did during his rookie and sophomore campaigns.

Tampa Bay Rays: This team isn't just off to a hot start, it's legit. Without any singular superstar, the Rays mix a combination of remarkable hitting and pitching depth to not just win but crush their opponents. Their plus-40 run differential leads all of baseball, and Blake Snell has only gotten better since winning the AL Cy Young; he's striking out more batters, walking fewer, and pacing the entire league in whiff rate.

Texas Rangers: Joey Gallo has arrived. It took a little while, but the transcendent slugger finally looks like he could hit 50 or more home runs. The 25-year-old has already surpassed the 40-homer plateau twice despite a career slugging percentage hovering around .500. Gallo currently owns a .662 slug and while that will likely regress a bit, he's put on an incredible show with eight dingers through 22 games.

Toronto Blue Jays: All of a sudden, the first month seems moot in Toronto - the new era officially begins Friday with the long-awaited debut of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Not a moment too soon, as the Blue Jays are striking out more than any other team in the league.

Washington Nationals: The Nationals have a pretty serious relief issue, ranking last in the NL by FIP and last in all of baseball by ERA. Remarkably, Sean Doolittle has been his normal dominant self, but beyond him, it's been atrocious. Wander Suero and Matt Grace have both pitched more than 10 innings and have ERAs above 5.00. The peripherals show some promise, though, as Tony Sipp has run into some rotten luck.