Lincoln-Way East’s Tyler Bell has been turning heads on baseball fields for well over a decade.
After all, it’s not often you see a switch-hitting T-ball star.
“When I was 3 or 4 years old, my dad (Shane) got me in the backyard on one of those old, plastic tees and taught me to hit lefty,” Bell said. “So, he taught me to be a switch-hitter way back then.
“It’s been great for my baseball career. Switch-hitting gets me out of the same side curveball, same side off-speed. Those are tough pitches for a hitter, and I never have to deal with them.”
From hitting for power and average from both sides of the plate to routinely making highlight reel-worthy defensive plays, there’s not much the senior shortstop can’t do for the Griffins (5-4).
It’s why Bell, a Kentucky recruit, is considered one of the state’s top prospects for this summer’s MLB draft. Prep Baseball Report rates him as the No. 2 player in Illinois for the 2024 class.
As a junior last season, Bell earned all-state honors by hitting .446 with 54 runs, 32 stolen bases, nine homers and 46 RBIs.
A highly touted player since before even starting high school, Bell has not let the hype get to his head, according to senior outfielder Matt Hudik.
“I think he’s handled it pretty good,” Hudik said. “I don’t think he’s let it get to him too much. There are always scouts at the game watching him, and I feel like he just tunes it out and plays his own game.”
Lincoln-Way East’s Tyler Bell settles in after batting practice in Mokena on Wednesday, April 3, 2024. (Vincent D. Johnson / Daily Southtown)
Bell does his best to ignore the outside noise. That includes his recruiting rankings and potential draft status.
“I try to stay focused on the next day,” Bell said. “That’s still a long way away. A lot of stuff can happen and you won’t know until it’s here.
“I’ll have conversations with my parents and coaches and everything whenever that time comes to make sure I’m going down the right path.”
One of Bell’s potential roads has taken on a different look over the past year. A longtime Pittsburgh commit, Bell switched his choice last summer to Kentucky.
“Kentucky was my No. 1 school and it all worked out in the end,” he said. “The coaches are great, the facilities are great. It’s playing in the SEC against the best and continuing to challenge myself, just trying to get better every day.”
Lincoln-Way East’s Tyler Bell rounds the bases after hitting a grand slam against Lockport during a SouthWest Suburban Blue game in Lockport on Thursday, April 21, 2022. (Michael Gard / Daily Southtown)
John McCarthy, who’s in his first year at Lincoln-Way East, had to game plan against Bell over the past several seasons when he was Homewood-Flossmoor’s head coach.
McCarthy is glad to have Bell on his side now.
“I think his natural instincts are very good,” McCarthy said. “He’s very smooth defensively and offensively. He drives the baseball. He’s very accurate with his arm and he has great hands.
“He’s got a bright future just because of how consistent he is on the baseball field.”
Lincoln-Way East’s Tyler Bell, right, crosses home plate after hitting a three-run homer as Providence catcher Enzo Infelise looks on during a nonconference game in New Lenox on Saturday, May 6, 2023. (Jon Cunningham / Daily Southtown)
Last season, Bell hit a two-run homer for the Griffins in a 10-9 victory over the host Porters in the Class 4A Lockport Sectional championship game.
It was the second sectional title in program history for Lincoln-Way East, which won a school- record 31 games but lost to eventual state runner-up Brother Rice in the supersectional.
That playoff run has Bell wanting more.
“I keep going back to last year,” he said. “It was a lot of fun winning a lot of games. Losing that (supersectional) game made all these returning guys a lot hungrier and ready to go this year.”
Bell isn’t sure where his journey will go after that. But he knows the ultimate goal.
“I want to play as long as I can,” he said. “I want to be an everyday starter in the big leagues. Whatever route gets me there, I’m willing to take it.”
