Rays Draft Pick Tyler Bell Intends To Reach Campus At Kentucky
Image credit: Tyler Bell (Photo by Bill Mitchell)
Last Wednesday one high-profile draftee top-10 round pick announced he wouldn’t be signing with a big league team. This Wednesday Illinois high school shortstop Tyler Bell made a similar announcement on social media, making his intentions to get to campus at Kentucky clear:
Bell ranked as the No. 103 2024 MLB Draft prospect and was selected by the Rays with the 66th pick in the second supplemental round. Bell developed a reputation as a well-rounded player as an underclassman. He pairs a patient offensive approach with solid-ish tools across the board. We graded him as a future fringe-average hitter with average power, average speed and above-average fielding ability and arm strength at shortstop.
While this is a clear and obvious win for Kentucky’s baseball program, Bell was 19 years old on draft day and will be draft-eligible once again in the 2026 draft class—when he has a chance to vault himself into first-round consideration with SEC performance.
Bell now joins Angels third-rounder Ryan Prager as the second top-10 round selection who has announced his decision to not sign. Just one top-10 round selection didn’t sign in 2023—Cardinals 10th-rounder Caden Kendle, who was subsequently selected and signed in the fifth round by the Twins this year.
For failing to sign Bell, the Rays will lose the $1,260,200 million slot value associated with the 66th pick from their bonus pool. They will, however, receive a compensation pick in the 2025 draft. The deadline for all draft picks to sign is Thursday, Aug. 1 at 5 p.m. ET.
Bell was the only player the Rays didn’t sign in this year’s draft class, as the team has already agreed to terms with the other 20 players they selected. The Rays have committed $8,582,600 signing bonus dollars towards a $10,093,100 total bonus pool, which meant they had at least $1,510,500 to offer Bell without exceeding their bonus pool. If Tampa Bay wanted to go to the full 5% overage, the team had just over $2 million available to try and sign Bell out of his Kentucky commitment.
Tyler Bell Full Scouting Report
BA Grade: 50/Extreme
Hit: 45. Power: 50. Run: 50. Field: 55. Arm: 55.
A lean and athletic shortstop with a projectable 6-foot-1, 190-pound frame, Bell established himself as a well-rounded player and solid performer as an underclassman. He’s a patient hitter with a solid eye at the plate from both sides, though there is a bit of length to his swing and it can get steep, which leads to some questions about how he might handle elevated velocity at the next level.
Still, he can drive the ball hard and makes a lot of contact in general. Bell should provide average and on-base value as a hitter. He’s a solid defender at shortstop with fluid actions and above-average body control, with above-average arm strength and the ability to throw from multiple angles. While Bell went just 2-for-14 (.143) at Perfect Game’s WWBA World Championship in Jupiter in 2023, he hit a number of balls hard that just didn’t find a gap in the field.
He was a standout at the 2024 MLB Draft combine, showing impressive actions at shortstop and solid raw power from both sides in batting practice. Bell is committed to Kentucky and will be 19 on draft day, making him a draft-eligible sophomore in the 2026 class if he makes it to campus.
