Gabriel Maciel

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Minnesota Twins #29 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: When the Twins traded popular utility infielder Eduardo Escobar to the Diamondbacks amid a breakout season, they came away with a top-10 arm in Jhoan Duran and a switch-hitting center fielder in Maciel. Originally signed in October 2015 out of Brazil for $90,000, Maciel is from Londrina, a city with a strong Japanese influence and thus baseball tradition. Maciel made his name at the 18U World Cup in Japan and was signed a month later.
  
  Scouting Report: Blessed with first-step quickness and considered an above-average runner, Maciel has been successful on just 58 percent of his stolen-base attempts the past two seasons. He isn’t the defender Akil Baddoo is in center but has a solid-average arm and good instincts. At the plate he lacks thump, especially from the left side, but puts the ball in play and uses the whole field.
  
  The Future: Some question his bat speed and wonder how much higher his ceiling really is, but Maciel’s athleticism is enough to buy him time to develop. It also helps that Maciel, who figures to open at high Class A Fort Myers, doesn’t have to be added to the 40-man roster until November 2020.
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  Ranked Arizona Diamondbacks #15 prospect in 2018
  The D-backs made Maciel the second Brazilian-born player in club history, following righthander Bo Takahashi, when they signed him for $90,000 in October 2015. Maciel is from Londrina, a city known for its baseball history because of a heavy influx of Japanese settlers who brought the game with them. The D-backs first spotted him at a baseball academy in Brazil when he was either 12 or 13. He grew into a legit prospect by age 15, with his off-the-charts athleticism evident in how quickly he picked things up. He showed well at the 18U World Cup in Japan in 2015 and the D-backs signed him a month later. Maciel has the tools to be a prototype leadoff man. He has some of the best strike-zone discipline in the organization, doesn't strike out much, has the feel to hit and even has some sneaky power that could grow into more when he learns to cut it loose in the right spots. He runs well but needs to work on his jumps. A switch-hitter, he's more confident from the right side but he has made improvements from the left. He's an above-average defender who scouts think has a chance to stick in center field, though he split time at Rookie-level Missoula with Eduardo Diaz, who most consider to be the better defender. Maciel draws comparisons with Ender Inciarte and figures to get his first crack at full-season ball in 2018.