Another year, another BraMBLe draft. Considering that this year's setting was the Mandalay Bay hotel in Las Vegas, the fantasy baseball draft was surprisingly devoid of high stakes trades. That does not mean that the draft was without its share of gambles, as teams were quick to illustrate. Critics be damned, the seven BraMBLe 2000 franchises proved that they each march to the beat of their own drummer. And so, without further ado, an inside look at this year's draft…

Slow & Steady

1.  Shocking no one, Solstice at Avalon made Kevin Brown the top choice in the draft. Despite what was considered a sub-par year last year with the Dodgers, prognosticators expect Brown to rebound with another outstanding year.
2.  Hitting sixty homeruns in consecutive seasons earns a player a certain amount of respect. Thus it came as no surprise when the Proudest Monkeys selected Sammy Sosa with the fourth overall pick in the draft. Word has it that Sosa is talking about being the first member of the 60-60 Club…
3.  Despite nearing the twilight of his career, few players produce as steadily as Barry Bonds. Three Times One is counting on just that, especially with Bonds moving into a new, cozier park.

On the Rise

1.  Considered by many to be a sleeper in the draft, the Kiwi Quackers surprised all by selecting new Cardinals closer Dave Veres with the eighth pick overall. Of course, in light of Veres' 2.20 ERA on the road last year, he could wind up being quite the bargain.
2.  Despite a season in which he hit only twenty-six homeruns and ended the year injured, Scott Rolen found interest in him to still be high this year. In fact, the young star lasted only until the fifth pick, when the Old School eagerly snatched him up.
3.  On the strength of a solid rookie campaign, young Seattle pitcher Freddy Garcia (not to be confused with the former Pirates prospect) flew up the draft board, landing on the Old School roster in the sixth round. His seventeen wins were tops among rookies, and he has shown tremendous potential thus far.

Fading Away

1.  Apparently, saves are not what they used to be. John Wetteland found that out the hard way, as he slipped until the twenty-eighth pick, where the Proudest Monkeys eagerly added him to their already loaded pitching staff. Despite some mild injury woes, Wetteland still racked up forty-three saves last year, and the veteran is out to prove that he still has a few years left in him.
2.  It is hard to find production as consistent as that provided by Gary Sheffield, but the Dodgers outfielder still receives no respect. In fact, no one picked him until Solstice at Avalon "took a chance" with the fifty-fourth pick. If only all "gambles" were so easy.
3.  Back-to-back seasons with over thirty homeruns? Not bad for a third basemen. Good enough to make the top ninety picks? Not this year. Dean Palmer slid far down the tote board, all the way to the waiting arms of Three Times One. Another year like the last two may finally earn him the recognition he deserves.

Sometimes, old habits die hard, and numerous BraMBLe 2000 teams provided clear examples of this during the draft. Solstice at Avalon continued its tradition of drafting speed, attempting to once again lock up stolen bases by the all-star break. The Proudest Monkeys stocked up on pitchers, much as they have done the past two years. Not to be outdone, the Old School continued its offensive barrage, still treating its pitching staff as a mere afterthought.

Some changes were clearly afoot, however. The Kiwi Quackers showed a remarkable amount of faith in young pitching, a strategy that paid off for the Monkeys last year. Da' Ridicules changed course and decided not to abandon saves entirely, drafting Jeff Shaw and John Rocker with early picks. Some things never change, but others evolve with time. So it is with fantasy baseball, and thus, so it is with BraMBLe 2000.