On Thursday, July 23, third baseman Mikey Bell announced that he was staying in college baseball after being picked in the 2026 MLB Draft. The San Francisco Giants selected Bell in the 19th round with the 568th pick in the 2026 MLB Draft.
Instead, Bell will play for the Georgia Bulldogs in 2027. He transferred to Georgia back in June after playing the 2026 college baseball season with the Gonzaga Bulldogs.
In a post on his X account, Bell put out a statement on his decision.
“I’ve decided to decline the opprotunity to sign with the San Francisco Giants and instead return for my final year at the University of Georgia,” Bell stated. “I’m grateful to the Giants organization for believing in me. I am excited for the opprotunity to continue developing both on and off the field.”
Bell and his huge season with Gonzaga, Georgia’s big-time transfer portal class
In 2026, Bell was a massive player for Gonzaga. He finished the year with a .378 batting average and a .454 on-base percentage. Bell also had 24 doubles, nine home runs, and 47 RBIs.
The Gonzaga infielder went on a tear hitting the baseball in conference play this season. Bell had a .430 batting average in conference play and recorded 23 extra-base hits.
The Fresno, Calif.-native won the West Coast Conference (WCC) Player of the Year award for the second straight season. He was also named first-team All-WCC for the second straight year.
Bell is a part of a transfer portal class for Georgia that is the best in college baseball, according to 64 Analytics’ rankings on X from July 16.
Historic 2026 season for Georgia
In 2026, the Georgia Bulldogs had one of their best season’s in program history. They finished with a 53-14 overall record and a 23-7 record in Southeastern Conference (SEC) play.
The Bulldogs won both the SEC regular season and tournament titles this year. In the NCAA Tournament, they made it to the College World Series for the first time since 2008.
WBN NCAA: https://worldbaseball.com/league/ncaa/
PHOTO: Gonzaga base runner Mikey Bell (5) looks on from third base during an NCAA baseball game against Saint Mary’s on Friday, April 17, 2026 in Moraga, Calif. (AP Photo/Lachlan Cunningham)
