Tyler Bell
American baseball player (born 2005)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tyler Jacob Bell (born June 30, 2005) is an American college baseball shortstop for the Kentucky Wildcats.
| Tyler Bell | |
|---|---|
| Kentucky Wildcats – No. 6 | |
| Shortstop | |
| Born: June 30, 2005 Bloomington, Illinois, U.S. | |
Bats: Switch Throws: Right | |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
|
Early life
Bell attended Lincoln-Way East High School in Frankfort, Illinois, where he played on the school's baseball team.[1] As a senior in 2024, he hit .391 with 25 RBI and 30 stolen bases.[2] Bell was selected by the Tampa Bay Rays with the 66th overall pick of the 2024 Major League Baseball draft.[3] He declined to sign with the team, and instead enrolled at the University of Kentucky to play college baseball for the Kentucky Wildcats.[4]
College career
As a freshman at Kentucky in 2025, Bell was named the team's starting shortstop.[5] He played in 56 games and batted .296 with ten home runs, 46 RBI, and 11 stolen bases, earning a spot on the SEC All-Freshman Team.[6] After the season, he briefly played collegiate summer baseball in the Cape Cod Baseball League with the Harwich Mariners.[7] He was also named to the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team, the first Wildcat to be selected since Zack Thompson in 2018.[8] Bell returned as the Wildcats shortstop to begin the 2026 season and is considered a top prospect for the upcoming 2026 Major League Baseball draft.[9] Bell injured his left shoulder while making a diving play on Opening Day versus UNC Greensboro and was ruled out indefinitely.[10]