Though you keep missing the larger point that had the A's done better job of scouting the college ranks, where they were shopping, they could have come way with players who'd make Joey Votto nothing more than an afterthought.
Yeah, take the entire rest of the draft after Votto (well over 1000 players) and I'm sure you can find a couple collegiate players who look better than Votto right now. Using that as a basis to criticize the As college scouting -- and as a way to belittle Votto's current status --is ridiculous.

At the very top, the As did well, primarily because they had volume. After that, they did poorly. My take is that part of the reason is that the were only looking at half the players, and in that half, they were prioritizing a player profile that doesn't translate all that well to the major leagues. They tied one hand behind their back and sold their performance as a magic trick.