With the 10th overall pick in the 2026 MLB draft, the Rockies continued their love affair with selecting players from the Southeastern Conference in the first round.

Tyler Bell, a switch-hitting shortstop out of the University of Kentucky, was the first player selected by the Rockies on Saturday afternoon. Bell becomes the fifth SEC player chosen by the Rockies out of their last seven first-round picks, joining Georgia’s Charlie Condon (2024), Tennessee’s Chase Dollander (2023), Florida’s Sterlin Thompson (2022) and Tennessee’s Jordan Beck (2022).

Out of high school, Bell was selected 66th overall by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2024 MLB draft. However, he chose to go to Kentucky and flourished there, earning first-team All-SEC honors last season. In 97 games at Kentucky, he put up a .993 OPS and hit .314.

Former Rockies general manager Dan O’Dowd praised the selection right after it was made on NBC’s coverage of the first 10 picks of this year’s draft.

“I think he’s one of the more undervalued players in the draft. I think this is a great pick for the Rockies,” O’Dowd said. “When you look at their outfield depth, this looks like he fits in the middle of their diamond perfectly.”

This story will be updated