Miners star combines elite offensive production with top-tier defense
The Sussex County Miners are pleased to announce that outfielder Gabriel Maciel has re-signed for the 2026 season.
Maciel enters his third year with the Miners, bringing back the stellar offense and defense he flashed for the East Division champions in 2025. The 27-year-old Brazilian native led the team with a .385 batting average and dazzled with web-gem outfield plays. Despite his 2025 campaign being cut short by a late-season injury, he still finished second in the Frontier League in batting average. Maciel was named Player of the Week for July 8-13, 2025, hitting a sizzling .571 (16-for-28) with nine runs scored, three home runs, eight RBIs, three walks, and four stolen bases. At that point in the season, he paced the league with a .402 average and 80 hits.
Maciel previously played in the minor league systems of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Minnesota Twins, and Oakland Athletics. A cornerstone of the Brazilian national team since 2016, he shined as a leadoff hitter and center fielder during the 2022 and 2025 World Baseball Classic (WBC) Qualifiers. Maciel is set to represent Brazil again in the upcoming WBC.
Catch Maciel at the Miners’ home opener on Friday, May 8, 2026, against the Down East Bird Dawgs. Single-game, half-season, and season tickets are now on sale at tickets.sussexcountyminers.com.
Photo by Phil Hoops