Tyler Bell agrees to $6 million deal with Colorado Rockies

Tyler Bell became Kentucky’s first top-pick in the MLB Draft since 1996. The switch-hitting shortstop had a pretty easy decision to make when the Colorado Rockies finally submitted a contract offer to the talented infielder. A deal has been made with the NL West franchise over a week before the signing deadline on July 27. MLB.com’s Jim Callis reported on Sunday that Bell reached a $6 million deal with the Rockies. This was just sout of $400,000 under slot. Bell’s college career is officially over. Tyler Bell was a second-round pick of the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2024 MLB Draft but turned down the opportunity to join the AL East franchise. After spending two years at Kentucky, the 21-year-old was seen as a consensus top-10 prospect. MLB.com had Bell at No. 10 overall prospect. The Athletic’s Keith Law had Bell at No. 3 overall. ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel had Bell at No. 9 overall. Kentucky’s star leaves college baseball with a .314/.438/.556 slash line, 19 home runs, 75 RBI, and 21 stolen bases across 459 plate appearances. Tyler Bell posted those numbers despite playing through a shoulder injury throughout the entire 2026 season. The All-SEC infielder produced numbers at the plate and will look to do the same in professional baseball. That journey will start in the farm system of the Colorado Rockies. Kentucky’s 2026 MLB Draft Tracker PlayerPositionTeamDraft PositionStatusTyler BellINFColorado RockiesRound 1 (No. 10 overall)SignedJaxon JelkinRHPPhiladelphia PhilliesRound 4 (No. 135 overall)UnsignedJimmy AndersonINFBaltimore OriolesRound 5 (No. 142 overall)UnsignedRobert OmidiINFDetroit TigersRound 8 (No. 246 overall)UnsignedConnor MattisonRHPMinnesota TwinsRound 16 (No. 467 overall)UnsignedCooper CorkreanLHPKansas City RoyalsRound 18 (No. 539 overall)UnsignedMatt PonatoskiRHPCincinnati RedsRound 18 (No. 542 overall)UnsignedNile AdcockRHPAtlanta BravesRound 20 (No. 592 overall)Unsigned