It's a new season in Major League Baseball. And provided you know where to look, you can find hope anywhere.

To demonstrate, we've picked out one reason for each of MLB's 30 teams to be optimistic in the early goings of the 2019 season. Some involve specific players who are either living up to lofty expectations or far exceeding relatively modest ones. Others involve collective efforts that have been better than expected.

We'll go in alphabetical order by city.

Note: Some advanced statistics are current through Sunday, April 7.

Arizona Diamondbacks: Christian Walker Is Filling Paul Goldschmidt's Shoes

Though it's only led to a 5-5 record, the Arizona Diamondbacks have boasted one of the National League's best offenses in the opening days of 2019.

David Peralta, Adam Jones, Jarrod Dyson and Ketel Marte deserve their share of the credit, but the Snakes have to be particularly enthused with what they're getting from Christian Walker. The 28-year-old is replacing Paul Goldschmidt at first base to the tune of a 1.012 OPS and three home runs.

How legit is Walker's early success? If his .323 on-base percentage is any indication, not very. But his MLB-best 77.3 percent hard-hit rate and third-ranked 102.7 mph exit velocity on fly balls and line drives suggest otherwise.

If Walker can keep it up, the Diamondbacks can rest easy knowing they have a capable first baseman under their control through 2024.

Atlanta Braves: Dansby Swanson Is Breaking Out

The 2018 Atlanta Braves surpassed expectations largely because of Ronald Acuna Jr. and Ozzie Albies, who teamed up for 50 home runs and 30 stolen bases despite combining for only 41 years of age.

In 2019, Dansby Swanson looks like he may turn Atlanta's duo of young stars into a trio.

After struggling to find his footing the past two seasons, the 2015 No. 1 pick is batting .333/.436/.733 through his first 10 games of 2019. He's walked (6) nearly as often as he's struck out (7), and his diminishing ground-ball rate is evidence of a better feel for driving the ball.

Swanson, 25, has already proved to be an excellent defensive shortstop. If he can keep the hits coming throughout 2019, he'll establish himself as one of baseball's best shortstops, period.

Baltimore Orioles: Trey Mancini Is Clicking

Though the Baltimore Orioles have been more competitive than anticipated, they haven't yet erased doubts that they're much better than the club that lost 115 games in 2018.

Besides, the real point of this season is for the O's to cement as many long-term building blocks as they can. What they need are guys like Trey Mancini.

After mixing 48 home runs with a relatively unimpressive .768 OPS across 2017 and 2018, Mancini is mixing his five homers with a 1.252 OPS early in 2019. He still lacks ideal strike-zone discipline for a slugger, but a 98.6 mph average on fly balls and line drives is a fine way to compensate.

By baseball standards, the 27-year-old Mancini is more "middle-aged" than "young." Still, the Orioles have to take what they can get, and a top-notch slugger who they control through 2022 would indeed be something.

Boston Red Sox: Their Bullpen Isn't So Bad After All

Following a 2018 season in which virtually nothing went wrong for the Boston Red Sox, regression has already hit them in 2019. Their starting rotation and offense, in particular, aren't having much fun amid the team's 3-8 start.

Oddly enough, Boston's bullpen has been holding things together.

Sans Joe Kelly and Craig Kimbrel, the Red Sox's bullpen appeared poised to undermine the team's effort to win its second straight World Series. In reality, the 3.61 ERA it has through 11 games doesn't do its early work justice.

Boston relievers are striking out 10.0 batters per nine innings while issuing only 2.8 walks per nine innings. Four righties in particular—Matt Barnes, Ryan Brasier, Brandon Workman and Colten Brewer—have been almost entirely untouchable.

It's still early, but a surprise this welcome helps balance out the bad times Boston has endured.

Chicago Cubs: Their Offense Looks Fixed

The Chicago Cubs have gone mostly downhill since opening the season with a 12-4 shellacking of the Texas Rangers. In particular, red flags and question marks riddle their run prevention.

But their offense is alive and well.

In the words of president of baseball operations Theo Epstein, Chicago's offense "broke somewhere along the lines" of a disappointing 2018 season. This year, the Cubs are batting a collective .289 with an .866 OPS. 

Anthony Rizzo, Kyle Schwarber, Willson Contreras and Jason Heyward have snapped out of their 2018 funks. After finishing as the NL MVP runner-up in 2018, Javier Baez leads the team with four homers. The numbers aren't there yet, but Kris Bryant looks recovered from last year's shoulder injury. 

All of that suggests the Cubs should regress to the mean and begin winning more games than they have so far.

Chicago White Sox: Tim Anderson and Yoan Moncada Are Figuring It out

Before Eloy Jimenez came along, Tim Anderson and Yoan Moncada were the hot young prospects who were supposed to be the Chicago White Sox's next great stars.

It took a little longer than expected, but it's finally happening.

Anderson, 25, is batting a whopping .517 with a 1.326 OPS. Moncada, 23, has a .945 OPS. The latter also has his strikeout rate down from 33 percent to 22 percent, and he's rocketing his batted balls at an average of 95.1 mph. 

In addition, the White Sox like what they've seen from Moncada at third base. Though it's still early, he's also on the positive side of defensive runs saved.

If Anderson and Moncada can keep this up, the left side of the White Sox's infield will be in good hands for years to come.

Cincinnati Reds: Luis Castillo Is Acing Early Tests

The Cincinnati Reds have scored 21 runs in nine games, but their pitching is holding things together with a 3.68 ERA.

If there's one guy in particular who's on track to a special season, it's 26-year-old right-hander Luis Castillo.

Castillo has begun his 2019 campaign by allowing only two runs over his first 12.2 innings. Though he's walked seven, he's also allowed only three hits and struck out 17.

That's quite the departure from the 4.30 ERA he posted in 2018, although it isn't entirely unexpected. Castillo was hot down the stretch last season, in part because he was featuring his changeup more often. He's keeping that up in 2019, and the pitch is clearly working well in tandem with his 95.1 mph heater.

While the Reds wait on their offense, it appears as though they at least have an ace on their hands.

Cleveland Indians: Carlos Santana and Hanley Ramirez Are Carrying the Load

Elsewhere in Ohio, the Cleveland Indians offense is also off to a rough start. Cleveland trails the entire American League with its .535 OPS, and it's scored only 30 runs.

Just imagine how much worse it would be without Carlos Santana and Hanley Ramirez.

They were supposed to help the Indians offense overcome the losses of Michael Brantley, Josh Donaldson, Yan Gomes, Yonder Alonso and Lonnie Chisenhall, and they're doing exactly that. Santana is hitting .419 with a 1.066 OPS. Ramirez has a .908 OPS and half of the team's four total home runs.

The Indians need more offense, but Santana and Ramirez are helping to keep the team's lineup afloat while Francisco Lindor is injured and Jose Ramirez is slumping.

Colorado Rockies: German Marquez Is Erasing All Doubts

To improve on their 3-8 start to the season, the Colorado Rockies need to get more out of almost everyone.

Except for German Marquez. He just needs to keep doing his thing.

The 24-year-old righty has begun 2019 by allowing only one run over 13 innings. He's been a little wild—see his six walks and three wild pitches—but he's given up only five hits while punching out 14.

In doing so, Marquez has picked up where he left off in 2018. Following a slow start to the year, he eventually finished with a 2.47 ERA over his final 17 starts. The big difference was the more liberal use of his slider to complement his mid-to-high 90s fastball and biting curveball.

Due to his recent contract extension, the Rockies will enjoy Marquez through at least 2023. It appears there's going to be plenty of ace-like pitching between now and then.

Detroit Tigers: Their Pitchers Have Come to Pitch

The Detroit Tigers are in the midst of another rebuilding season, and this one won't even feature Michael Fulmer. The young righty is out for the year because of Tommy John surgery.

So far, however, the Tigers haven't missed him during their 7-3 start. Detroit pitchers have racked up a 2.30 ERA that ranks second in MLB, and it's for real. The staff's .268 xwOBA—a Statcast metric based on strikeouts, walks and contact quality—also ranks second in MLB.

The most encouraging part of this is the rate at which 20-something starters Matt Boyd (28) and Spencer Turnbull (26) have been racking up strikeouts. In the meantime, veterans such as Jordan Zimmermann, Matt Moore, Tyson Ross and Shane Greene are building their trade value.

The longer this lasts, the more the Tigers stand to gain from when they do trade those veterans, and the more they can look forward to continued excellence from their 20-somethings.

Houston Astros: Carlos Correa and George Springer Are Back

The Houston Astros' quest for a third straight 100-win season has gotten off to a 6-5 start. What's especially alarming is how their vaunted offense has produced only 37 runs thus far.

On the plus side, Carlos Correa and George Springer are doing their part. Springer has an .859 OPS and three home runs. Correa has an .817 OPS and four extra-base hits, and the drastic correction in his hard-hit rate points toward more production to come.

Correa and Springer had a huge hand in driving Houston's historically excellent 2017 offense, as they combined on a .911 OPS and 58 home runs. In 2018, however, injuries and slumps knocked them down several pegs to a .758 OPS and 37 homers.

Both appear to be back to normal in 2019. Now the Astros need the rest of their offense to show up.

Kansas City Royals: Adalberto Mondesi's Breakout Is Ongoing

The shiniest silver lining on the Kansas City Royals' 104-loss 2018 season was the rise of Adalberto Mondesi. The young shortstop broke out with an .804 OPS, 14 homers and 32 stolen bases over 75 games.

New year, same Mondesi.

Raul's son has 11 strikeouts and zero walks, but he's continuing to prove that he can make his free-swinging style work. He's put up an .842 OPS with seven extra-base hits.

Above all, there's Mondesi's ability to hit the ball hard. It shows in his hard-hit rate, as well as in his 100.7 mph exit velocity on fly balls and line drives. Between that and his elite sprint speed, he's showing an increasingly exciting combination of power and speed.

By the way, he's only 23 and is under Kansas City's control through 2023. He's a perfect guy to build around.

Los Angeles Angels: Mike Trout Is Still Impossible

The Los Angeles Angels are off to a 5-6 start, and it'll likely be a while before Justin Upton and Shohei Ohtani recover from injuries and are sharing the same lineup.

So once again, the Angels have placed too heavy of a burden on Mike Trout. Yet true to form, he's at least trying to carry it.

The two-time American League MVP and $430 million man didn't get his first home run until the Angels' seventh game, but don't let that fool you. He's hit four more since then, and he's batting a blistering .367/.574/.933 overall. Naturally, his .636 xwOBA tops the charts among qualified hitters.

That's just Trout being Trout. In all likelihood, he'll end the year with yet another 10-WAR season on his resume, thereby adding to his all-time great career trajectory.

Los Angeles Dodgers: Cody Bellinger Is Driving a Dinger Deluge

The Los Angeles Dodgers, and Cody Bellinger in particular, care not for the health and well-being of baseballs.

The Dodgers opened 2019 by hitting an Opening Day-record eight home runs against the Diamondbacks. They've since clubbed 16 more to place themselves high atop the NL leaderboard.

The man in the middle is Bellinger, who looks totally reborn following his slide from NL Rookie of the Year in 2017 to just another guy in 2018. He's off to a 1.468 OPS with seven home runs, which puts him well on pace to top even the 39 that he hit in 2017.

Max Muncy, Joc Pederson, Enrique Hernandez, Austin Barnes and Alex Verdugo also have multiple homers. As time goes on, the Dodgers are sure to get more out of guys like Justin Turner, Corey Seager, and A.J. Pollock, too.

Ultimately, the Dodgers should surpass the franchise-record 235 homers they hit in 2018.

Miami Marlins: Their Young Starters Are Holding Their Own

With a dismal 98-loss 2018 season in their wake, there weren't many reasons to be excited about the Miami Marlins coming into 2019.

The big one, however, was their young starting rotation. And it hasn't taken long for it to live up to its billing. 

Miami's starters have a 4.67 ERA out of the gate, but they rank in MLB's top 10 in FanGraphs WAR.

Besides, only Jose Urena has been notably bad. Take him out of the mix, and Trevor Richards, Sandy Alcantara, Pablo Lopez and Caleb Smith are left with a 3.57 ERA with 44 strikeouts, 14 walks and five home runs allowed in 45.1 innings.

In any case, all five of Miami's starters are in their 20s and under club control through at least 2021. That isn't a bad thing to build around.

Milwaukee Brewers: Christian Yelich Cares Not for Regression

The start of 2019 is looking a lot like the end of 2018 for the Milwaukee Brewers. They're in first place at 8-3, and Christian Yelich is the one who's mainly responsible for putting them there.

The 27-year-old began his season by clubbing home runs in each of Milwaukee's first four games against the St. Louis Cardinals. He's gone deep only once more since then, but he's still hitting .375/.490/.850 with nine extra-base hits.

This is coming on the heels of an NL MVP-winning 2018 campaign in which Yelich morphed into a superstar in the second half. In case that seemed too good to be true, the truth is that he realized potential that had always been there. All he's doing now is doubling down on it.

In any case, one of the National League's best teams is once again revolving around arguably the National League's best player.

Minnesota Twins: Jose Berrios Is Taking the Next Step

Though it doesn't feel like everything has clicked just yet, the Minnesota Twins are nonetheless off to a solid 5-3 start.

There are individual positives abound, such as the warm starts of young hitters Jorge Polanco, Max Kepler, Willians Astudillo and Byron Buxton. Yet nobody has looked as good as Jose Berrios.

All three of the 24-year-old righty's starts have lasted at least six innings. In total, he's allowed only five runs with 21 strikeouts and four walks over 20.2 innings.

Even amid his All-Star breakout in 2018, it was apparent that Berrios might take another step toward true acehood. He's realizing it now by throwing a ton of strikes despite throwing fewer fastballs. Indeed, he's thrown more curveballs and changeups than he has heaters.

Any more of this, and Berrios might contend for the AL Cy Young Award.

New York Mets: Pete Alonso Is as Advertised

With a 6-3 record through nine games, the New York Mets are off to a strong start in what figures to be a brutal fight for the NL East crown.

It helps that Jacob deGrom is further cementing himself as perhaps baseball's best pitcher after winning the NL Cy Young Award in 2018. He's given up zero runs and whiffed 24 batters in his first two starts.

On the other side of the ball, the Mets must be over the moon with Pete Alonso.

Rather than manipulate Alonso's service time by starting him in the minors, the Mets put the 24-year-old on their major league roster right away. He's repaying them with a 1.256 OPS and nine extra-base hits, which have come courtesy of his fourth-ranked 101.3 mph exit velocity on fly balls and line drives.

Other MLB teams should take note: Good things can happen when you let the kids play.

New York Yankees: Gary Sanchez Is Dangerous Again

The New York Yankees probably expected a better start to 2019 than their pedestrian 5-5 record. Then again, they probably didn't expect to have so many stars on the injured list.

Still, it's not all bad. Aaron Judge, Gleyber Torres and DJ LeMahieu are helping the team's lineup stay afloat. So is Gary Sanchez, whose early contact has been exceptionally loud.

Though the 26-year-old catcher is batting only .250, he's up to a 1.075 OPS and six homers after going yard three times Sunday in Baltimore. He also boasts a .612 xwOBA that ranks between Mike Trout and Cody Bellinger for second in MLB.

All of this is coming after a 2018 season in which Sanchez hit .186 with a .697 OPS in only 89 games. He's evidently feeling more like his 2017 self, who was an All-Star and Silver Slugger who blasted 33 homers.

Oakland Athletics: Their Starting Rotation Isn't So Bad After All

The Oakland Athletics' starting rotation appeared to be a weakness in 2018, but it was actually fine for most of the year. 

New year, same deal.

Though Oakland's starters only have a 4.22 ERA overall, they did most of the heavy lifting during a 6-2 stretch between March 28 and April 4 in which the A's had a 1.87 ERA as a team.

Granted, Oakland's starters also have the lowest strikeout rate (5.9 per nine innings) in MLB. But their third-ranked .333 xwOBA on batted balls points to a collective talent for contact management. They're therefore making life even easier for one of baseball's best defenses.

Though they've only started 6-8, the A's may have another postseason run in them if this continues. 

Philadelphia Phillies: Bryce Harper Is Looking Underpaid

At the time he signed in early March, Bryce Harper's 13-year, $330 million contract with the Philadelphia Phillies was the largest in the history of North American professional sports.

If anything, it's looking like an underpay right now.

Harper, 26, has started off with a .345/.525/.759 batting line, not to mention a .488 xwOBA that ranks sixth among qualified hitters. He already has 11 walks to go with six extra-base hits.

To see Harper hitting like this isn't anything new. The only question is whether he'll sustain it like he did when he won the 2015 NL MVP on the strength of a 1.109 OPS, 42 homers and 10.0 WAR.

Since he's clearly locked in out of the gate in 2019, he may only need the benefit of good health to achieve that level of superstardom again.

Pittsburgh Pirates: Their Run Prevention Is Working as Expected

The 2018 Pittsburgh Pirates weren't particularly good, but they finished the season with a winning record in the second half. That had much to do with a 3.52 ERA that ranked fourth in MLB.

So it goes into 2019, wherein the Pirates are working on an NL-best 2.93 ERA.

On the pitching side, the bulk of the credit for this goes to Pittsburgh's starting rotation. Jameson Taillon, Trevor Williams, Chris Archer, Joe Musgrove and Jordan Lyles have teamed up on a 1.80 ERA.

Not to be overlooked, however, is the Pirates defense. Perhaps it's a bit early to read too much into it, but its efficiency at turning batted balls into outs is the best there is.

Pittsburgh's bullpen is off to a comparatively slow start, but there's too much talent within it for that to last for long. In time, scoring runs off the Pirates could only get harder.

San Diego Padres: Their Starting Rotation Is Carrying Them

Compared to their Manny Machado-infused offense and hugely underrated bullpen, the San Diego Padres starting rotation looked like the team's biggest weakness coming into 2019.

Go figure that Padres starters have led the way to a 7-4 start with a 3.02 ERA, which ranks seventh in all of MLB. And that's despite an early 7.04 ERA from left-hander Matt Strahm.

Remove him from the equation, and Chris Paddack, Joey Lucchesi, Eric Lauer and Nick Margevicius boast a collective 2.35 ERA with only 31 hits allowed in 46 innings. Paddack and Lucchesi, specifically, also have 24 strikeouts over 19 innings.

Whether this can last might only be a "maybe" proposition. But if it does, not much will be standing between the Padres and the 2019 postseason.

San Francisco Giants: Good Madison Bumgarner Has Returned

Following 187 total losses over the last two seasons, a 3-8 start to 2019 points to yet another difficult season for the once-great San Francisco Giants.

All the more reason to enjoy Madison Bumgarner while he's still around.

Injuries rendered the four-time All-Star and three-time World Series champion mortal in 2017 and 2018, but he's coming back to life with a 3.32 ERA in his first three starts. He's struck out 16 and walked only four in 19 innings.

Though the fastball velocity that Bumgarner lost between 2016 and 2018 still isn't back, his career-low 32.6 fastball percentage is lessening the need for it. He's showing that he can throw plenty of strikes with his cutter/slider, curveball and changeup instead.

If nothing else, that should give the 29-year-old good trade value for the Giants to cash in on this summer.

Seattle Mariners: Everyone Is Hitting

It's looking like the Seattle Mariners' offseason "reimagining" of their roster has begat an offensive juggernaut.

The Mariners opened 2019 with a 14-run onslaught in two games against the A's in Japan, and they haven't deviated from that path since returning to the States. They lead MLB in runs and home runs, and the American League in batting average and OPS.

It isn't one, two or even three guys doing the heavy lifting for the Mariners offense. Save for Dee Gordon, everyone is chipping in. Newcomers Tim Beckham and Domingo Santana have been especially dangerous with a collective 1.179 OPS and eight homers.

The Mariners haven't been quite as proficient at preventing runs, yet their offense has nonetheless put them atop the American League with a 10-2 record. Until something gives, it's on everyone else to catch up.

St. Louis Cardinals: Kolten Wong Has Found Something

So little has gone right for the St. Louis Cardinals out of the gate that it's a wonder they're 5-5.

Things would be far worse without Kolten Wong's budding superstar breakout.

Wong is hitting .394/.447/.788 with six extra-base hits, including three home runs. His exit velocity on fly balls and line drives has actually gone down, yet a decline in his ground-ball rate and a spike in his hard-hit rate suggest something good is up with his swing.

Though it feels like Wong has been around forever, he's still only 28. What he's doing now is a sign that he can be more than a merely solid-yet-unspectacular regular for the Cardinals at second base.

Tampa Bay Rays: Their Run Prevention Is Impenetrable

Atop the AL East sit the 8-3 Tampa Bay Rays, whose $60.4 million payroll is by far the lowest in MLB and tens of millions short of the ones in Boston and New York.

How are they doing it? Mainly by allowing only 20 runs through 11 games.

They boast a 1.80 ERA that's MLB's best by a good margin, and no one group deserves the lion's share of the credit for that.

Reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell and Tampa Bay's rotation have dominated with a 1.61 ERA. Jose "Did You See That Freakin' Pitch?" Alvarado and the bullpen have a 2.05 ERA. The Rays defense ranks third in efficiency.

Now, just imagine if the Rays follow Snell's advice and spring for Craig Kimbrel.

Texas Rangers: There May Be Another Level to Joey Gallo

The Texas Rangers are somewhere between contending and rebuilding. Until the team commits to one direction, Rangers fans can only enjoy the bright spots.

For instance, Joey Gallo.

The 25-year-old blasted 81 dingers (many of which were prodigious) across 2017 and 2018, but his huge strikeout habit held back his overall offensive value. Early on in 2019, however, he's striking out exactly as often as he's walking.

Rather than sacrifice any power to make this happen, Gallo has hit four homers and crushed his fly balls and line drives at an MLB-best average of 104.3 mph. Altogether, his .556 xwOBA ranks fourth.

The Rangers control Gallo through 2022. At this rate, they may want to think about extending him beyond then.

Toronto Blue Jays: Their Rotation Is Destroying Expectations

The Toronto Blue Jays are off to a 3-8 start, but with only a minus-5 run differential. Better things may await them in the near future, particularly if their starting rotation keeps doing its thing.

Given that Blue Jays starters ranked 28th with a 5.14 ERA in 2018, expectations for their rotation were naturally subdued going into 2019. So far, however, it sits at fourth in MLB with a sparkling 2.44 ERA.

This is mostly the doing of Marcus Stroman, Aaron Sanchez, Matt Shoemaker and Trent Thornton, who've combined on a 1.49 ERA across nine total starts. They also have a combined 59 strikeouts and only one home run allowed in 54.1 innings.

All the Blue Jays need is some energy on offense. Perhaps Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette can take care of that when they arrive.

Washington Nationals: Anthony Rendon Is Getting Even Better

The Washington Nationals are off to a 4-5 start in the post-Bryce Harper era, and they're arguably lucky things aren't worse.

If not for Anthony Rendon, they probably would be.

The 28-year-old third baseman is batting .412/.500/.912 with nine extra-base hits (including four homers) out of the gate. Lest anyone doubt this is legit, his .537 xwOBA ranks ahead of Harper for fifth among qualified hitters.

There's also the stardom Rendon achieved in 2017 and 2018, across which he posted a .923 OPS with 137 extra-base hits. The only thing keeping him from an All-Star reputation is an actual All-Star selection.

He'll get his first this year if he keeps this up. Come the winter, he should also get a contract to his liking.

Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, FanGraphs, Baseball Savant and Baseball Prospectus.