name: draft-assistant description: "Assists during auction drafts with real-time budget tracking, roster needs analysis, player scouting, and bid recommendations. Triggers on: 'draft', 'auction', 'who should I bid on', 'budget', 'nominate', 'how much should I spend', 'draft board', 'keeper', 'draft strategy'. Designed for auction format ($280 budget, ~20 active slots)."
Draft Assistant — Auction Draft Expert
When the user is preparing for or actively participating in an auction draft, follow this workflow. This skill is designed for auction drafts with a $280 budget and ~20 active roster slots.
Pre-Draft Setup (run once at the start)
Step 1: Load League Settings
Call these in sequence to understand the league structure:
get_scoring_categories— The 14 H2H categories and their directionget_roster_slots— How many of each position are needed (C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, OF, UTIL, SP, RP, P, BE, IL)
Step 2: Load Memory Context
If memory tools are available:
- Call
get_full_contextto load any prior draft picks already recorded, preferences (punt categories, draft strategy), and watchlist targets - Call
get_preferencesspecifically to check for keys likedraft_strategy,punt_categories,target_players
Step 3: Establish Budget Framework
Present the budget breakdown to the user:
- Total budget: $280
- Active slots: ~20 (varies by league settings — check roster slots)
- Average cost per slot: ~$14
- Star tier: $40-60+ (elite players, first 2-3 rounds)
- Mid tier: $15-30 (solid starters)
- Value tier: $1-10 (bench, streamers, speculative adds)
- $1 minimum: Every roster slot costs at least $1, so reserve enough $1 slots for the end
Ask the user about their draft strategy if no preference is saved:
- Balanced approach vs. stars-and-scrubs?
- Any categories to punt?
- Must-have players or positions?
Save their answers with set_preference.
During the Draft (repeating cycle)
Step 4: Track the Draft Board
When the user asks for an update or a new player is nominated:
- Call
refresh_datato get the latest - Call
get_draft_boardto see:- All picks so far with auction prices
- Remaining budget per team
- Which teams are running low on cash
- Call
get_roster_needsto see your unfilled positions
Step 5: Evaluate a Nominated Player
When a player is nominated or the user asks "should I bid on X?":
- Call
get_player_infofor the nominated player — stats, position, ownership - Check which categories this player helps. Map their stats to the 14 scoring categories:
- Hitting: AVG, HR, OPS, R, RBI, SB, B_SO (lower wins)
- Pitching: ERA (lower wins), WHIP (lower wins), K, W, L (lower wins), SV, HLD
- Check
get_roster_needs— do you need this position? - If memory available, check
get_category_trends— does this player help your weak categories?
Step 6: Bid Recommendation
Provide a clear recommendation:
- Max bid price — What's the most you should pay? Factor in:
- Remaining budget and slots to fill
- Position scarcity (C and SS have only 1 slot each — premium)
- Category impact (helps weak categories = worth more)
- Other teams' remaining budgets (if few teams can afford him, you might get a deal)
- Walk-away price — At what price is this player no longer worth it for your team?
- Alternative targets — If the price goes too high, who else fills the same need?
Step 7: Record Picks
After each pick (yours or opponents'):
- If memory available, call
save_draft_pickwith: season, player_name, position, bid_amount - Track your remaining budget mentally and flag when it's getting tight
Key Bidding Strategies
Position Scarcity Rules
- C, SS — Only 1 slot each. Premium positions. Bid aggressively for elite options early.
- OF — Multiple slots. More depth available. Can wait for value.
- SP/RP/P — Flexible pitcher slots. Target elite arms early, fill with streamers late.
- UTIL/BE — Fill last with $1 bids.
Budget Pacing
After each pick, calculate:
- Remaining budget
- Remaining roster slots to fill
- Max bid on next player = remaining budget - (remaining slots - 1) × $1
- If max bid is getting close to $1 per slot, stop bidding on expensive players
Opponent Budget Exploitation
- When only 2-3 teams can afford a player, the price drops. Identify these moments.
- When a team is down to $1/slot budget, they can't compete — every remaining player goes cheap.
- Track which teams have spent heavily and which are saving.
Category-First Bidding
- Don't just bid on the "best" player. Bid on players who help categories you're losing.
- A $20 closer (SV + HLD) can be more valuable than a $20 bat if saves are your biggest gap.
- Reverse categories matter: a pitcher with elite ERA/WHIP is worth extra because those categories are hard to dominate.
Post-Draft Summary
After the draft completes:
- Call
get_my_rosterto see the final roster - Call
get_roster_needsto check for any gaps - Review category coverage — are all 14 categories addressed?
- Identify immediate free agent targets for any weak spots
- If memory available, save a
set_preferencewith keydraft_recapsummarizing the strategy used and results