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Sports Illustrated's Ben Reiter who predicted 2017 championship says Astros will win World Series
Oct 23, 2019, 10:47 am
The Astros will have a reason to celebrate this year, according to Ben Reiter. Christian Petersen/Getty Images
Ben Reiter, senior writer with Sports Illustrated, made a bold prediction when he said the Houston Astros, who were in the midst of a 100-loss season in 2014, predicted the club would win the World Series.
What's more, he predicted the exact year of 2017 for Houston's crowning.
This season, he correctly predicted a 2019 World Series of the Astros and Washington Nationals. He believes the 'Stros are taking it again.
Reiter spoke with ABC13 hours before Game 1, explaining that the Astros are a growing dynasty.
He believed strongly in the Astros organization and its plan to rebuild using analytics, patient decision-making, cutting edge training, and a dash of gut intuition. That grew into his book Astroball: The New Way to Win It All.
In the book, he dives into the team's strategy for continued success.
Aside from correctly predicting the championship matchup, he offered more predictions.
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ESPN Texans reporter DJ Bien-Aime joined The Mina Kimes Show this weekand shared his thoughts on the Texans outlook this season.
When looking at the Texans offense, Bien-Aime pointed to Houston's play calling as being a possible issue in 2024. Bobby Slowik did a terrific job in his first season as an offensive coordinator. But he will have his hands full keeping all his playmakers happy with Stefon Diggs joining the team, and Nico Collins expecting a ton of looks after signing a massive contract extension.
Which got us thinking, are there enough catches to go around?
We took a deep dive into the 2023 numbers and here's what we found. CJ Stroud averaged 21 completions per game. And here's a breakdown of how many catches his receivers averaged last year.
Nico Collins 5.3 catches per game
Stefon Diggs (with Buffalo) 6.29 catches per game
Dalton Schultz 3.93 catches per game
Tank Dell 4.27 catches per game
Texans running backs 3.05 catches per game
If we add those up, the total is 22.84. Which means the Texans top receivers should expect a similar amount of production compared to last season. Of course, players like Noah Brown, Robert Woods, and Brevin Jordan will take targets away from Stefon Diggs and company from time to time.
But it's good to know that the Texans top pass catchers should produce numbers close to their 2023 averages. Which is a big deal for a player in a contract year like Diggs.
Another thing to note. We're factoring in that the Texans are expected to run out of 11 personnel most of the time. Which means Diggs, Collins, Dell, Schultz, and Mixon will be the only pass catchers on the field the majority of the time.
Are there concerns about the defense?
Both Kimes and Bien-Aime designated Houston's secondary as the big x-factor this year. Bien-Aime named cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. as the only player in the secondary that he truly trusts. Is he right?
Be sure to watch the video above as we react to Kimes and Bien-Aime's outlook for the Texans this year, and share our thoughts on the possible pitfalls the team will have to navigate in the short and long-term.