First off, to save angry emails and vague death threats, let me make clear that I am not here today to pass judgment on anyone involved in scouting or development in the A’s organization. Scouting is both an art and a science, and like keeping pitchers healthy we can see that much rides on it, many resources are devoted to it, and no one can really master it.
What I bring to the table today is more of a sense of puzzlement, knowing that some of the most obvious answers don’t entirely explain what has reached two decades of relative futility.