Tyler Bell, a star high school infielder from Illinois, will attend the University of Kentucky, declining to sign a professional contract after being selected No. 66 overall in this month’s MLB Draft. He will be eligible for the draft again after the 2026 season.

“Tyler is an outstanding player and tremendous person,” Kentucky coach Nick Mingione said. “He will perfectly fit into our culture both on and off the field. The Kentucky baseball program got better today.”

The Frankfort, Illinois native from Lincoln-Way East High School, the same school that produced UK Gold Glove winner Ryan Ritter, will become the third-highest rated recruit to arrive on campus according to Perfect Game, behind Alex Meyer and Ryan Hagenow. Perfect Game has him ranked No. 59 overall in the Class of 2024, while Prep Baseball Report is even more bullish on the infielder in ranking him 13^th overall.

Bell signed a National Letter of Intent with Kentucky last winter.

Bell had been ranked the No. 81 overall prospect, collegiate or high school, in the draft by MLB.com. Earlier this summer he participated in the MLB Draft Combine for prospects. Baseball America had this to say after his strong performance:

Bell had one of the most well-rounded workout days of the position players. He had impressive defensive actions at shortstop in the in-and-out session and a loud few rounds of batting practice as well. Bell uses an even setup in the box with a small leg kick, a slight hand press in his load and an uphill bat path from both sides of the plate. From the right side he hit plenty of sharp line drives up the middle. He then let it fly a bit more after switching over to the left side, homering multiple times to the pull side

Bell’s defensive effort at shortstop was one of the more impressive as well. He’s a twitchy defender with active footwork who took solid angles to the ball and showed reliable hands and solid arm strength. Bell can drop down his arm slot and throw from a more traditional slot depending on the situation. He did a nice job getting behind a backhand in the hole with a quick exchange and strong throw across the diamond after setting his feet towards the bag on one ground ball. On his second ground ball in the hole, Bell fielded on the run while moving to third base and made a quick exchange and low slot throw while moving away from the bag with accuracy and surprising strength given his position on the play. His athleticism, arm strength and body control were all standout traits.

Kentucky is coming off a record setting 2024 season that saw the Wildcats advance to the College World Series for the first time in history.