My conversation with Ben Reiter, senior writer for Sports Illustrated & SI.com since 2004 and author of Astroball: The New Way To Win It All, where he prophetically predicted in 2014 that the Houston Astros would win the World Series by 2017.

We discussed what inspired him to dive deeper into the modern day baseball methodology when it comes to payroll/asset management, how his thinking evolved in contrast to the Moneyball realities of the game, his thoughts on Jeff Luhnow and the fateful decision to acquire Roberto Osuna amidst a character-driven modus operandi, why Ken Giles will be a valuable part of the future of the Toronto Blue Jays, and his candid take on the dwindling nature of batting averages and bases on balls over the voracious appetites for witnessing home runs and rampant strikeouts.

Be sure to follow Ben (@BenReiter) on social media and pick up a copy of his new book while enjoying fine work over at Sports Illustrated.