Kentucky signee Tyler Bell drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays with the No. 66 pick in the 2024 MLB Draft

Kentucky Baseball signee shortstop Tyler Bell was drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays with the 66th pick in the Second Round of the 2024 MLB Draft Sunday night.

Bell was taken with Tampa Bay’s Competitive Balance Round B pick.

The slot value for the 66th pick is $1,260,200. The slotting system assigns specific dollar values to each draft position. These dollar values are MLB’s “recommended” bonus amount for the player drafted at whatever position they are picked at.

He will now have to decide whether or not he will sign his pro contract or play at Kentucky next season.

📊 𝑫𝙧𝒂𝙛𝒕 𝑩𝙤𝒂𝙧𝒅 𝑺𝙥𝒐𝙩𝒍𝙞𝒈𝙝𝒕 📊

Tyler Bell, 2024, SS
Draft Board Rank: 67

The Illinois native & #Kentucky commit has premier bat-to-ball w/ tons of athl. Switch-hitter with clean strokes from both sides & the ability to impact well. Great defender at SS. pic.twitter.com/Tzv1n7LmAG

— Perfect Game Draft (@PG_Draft) February 5, 2024

Bell was ranked the 59th best player in the Class of 2024, and the 15th best shortstop in the nation.

Perfect Game spoke highly of Bell following the 2022 Midwest Top Prospect Games:

“Recorded a 6.81 second sixty yard dash time, showcasing good speed. Lean and athletic frame with present strength. Primary shortstop who is very light on his feet and is a smooth mover through the infield. Has excellent feel for the glove and soft hands. Utilizes a short and compact arm action and gets the ball out quickly. Has plenty of twitch and athleticism to his actions with the arm strength and skills to stay at shortstop at the next level. Switch-hitter with a slightly open stance and high hand set, utilizes a leg lift trigger. Has plenty of bat speed and a whip to the barrel, produced loud contact to his pull side. Showed good balance and extension in the swing and looks to do damage. Consistently hit the ball hard in BP and in game. Very skilled player with a high ceiling. Excellent student.”

The Illinois native would be a massive get if he makes it to campus.

He is the third player linked to Kentucky to have been taken in the 2024 MLB Draft, as outfielder Ryan Waldschmidt was drafted with the 31st pick by the Arizona Diamondbacks and second baseman Émilien Pitre was drafted with the 58th pick by the Tampa Bay Rays.