Caleb Thielbar

Caleb Thielbar

36-Year-Old PitcherRP
Minnesota Twins
2023 Fantasy Outlook
Thielbar continues to fly under the radar because he'll be 36 this season and is a southpaw with only one career save. If you look deeper under the hood, his resume is pretty impressive. Thielbar has pitched 242 big league innings with a respectable 3.01 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 9.6 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9. He significantly out-performed that strikeout ratio last season with a 12.1 K/9 and 15% SwStr% that was top 30 among qualfied relievers. Not to mention, Thielbar's 25.9% hard hit rate allowed and 85.9 mph average exit velocity allowed were among the best in the league. He'll reprise his role as Minnesota's top lefty reliever in 2023, and while he certainly has the skills necessary to close games, don't expect him to suddenly enter the mix for saves. Read Past Outlooks
RANKS
#601
ADP
$Signed a one-year, $1.3 million contract with the Twins in November of 2021.
Agrees to terms for 2023
PMinnesota Twins
January 13, 2023
Thielbar signed a one-year, $2.4 million contract with the Twins on Friday to avoid arbitration, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.
ANALYSIS
Thielbar has been one of the most consistent pieces of the Twins' bullpen for the past three seasons, keeping his WHIP right around the 1.15 mark. The veteran southpaw will turn 36 at the end of the month, so it's worth questioning how much left he has in the tank. But for now, a 2.42 FIP keeps him in a nice position as one of Minnesota's top relievers.
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Pitching Stats
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2022
2021
2020
2022 MLB Game Log
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2021 MLB Game Log
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2020 MLB Game Log
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Pitching Appearances Breakdown
Average Pitch Count
15
Last 10 Games
15
Last 5 Games
14
How many pitches does Caleb Thielbar generally throw?
 
1-10
 
11-20
 
21-30
 
31-40
 
41-50
 
51-60
 
61-70
 
71-80
 
81-90
 
91-100
 
101-110
 
111-120
 
121+
 
1-10
 
11-20
 
21-30
 
31-40
 
41-50
 
51-60
 
61-70
 
71-80
 
81-90
 
91-100
 
101-110
 
111-120
 
121+
 
1-10
 
11-20
 
21-30
 
31-40
 
41-50
 
51-60
 
61-70
 
71-80
 
81-90
 
91-100
 
101-110
 
111-120
 
121+
What part of the game does Caleb Thielbar generally pitch?
 
 
 
1st
 
 
 
2nd
 
 
 
3rd
 
 
 
4th
 
 
 
5th
 
 
 
6th
 
 
 
7th
 
 
 
8th
 
 
 
9th
 
Extra
 
 
 
1st
 
 
 
2nd
 
 
 
3rd
 
 
 
4th
 
 
 
5th
 
 
 
6th
 
 
 
7th
 
 
 
8th
 
 
 
9th
 
Extra
 
 
 
1st
 
 
 
2nd
 
 
 
3rd
 
 
 
4th
 
 
 
5th
 
 
 
6th
 
 
 
7th
 
 
 
8th
 
 
 
9th
 
Extra
% Games Reaching Innings Threshold
% Games By Number of Innings Pitched
Left/Right Pitching Splits
Since 2020
 
 
-8%
BAA vs LHP
2022
Even Split
2021
 
 
-12%
BAA vs LHP
2020
 
 
-28%
BAA vs LHP
BAA Batters K BB H 2B 3B HR
Since 2020vs Left .213 204 57 16 39 7 0 4
Since 2020vs Right .232 385 121 31 81 18 1 9
2022vs Left .225 90 25 9 18 1 0 1
2022vs Right .226 155 55 9 33 6 1 4
2021vs Left .214 92 26 4 18 6 0 3
2021vs Right .242 174 51 16 37 10 0 5
2020vs Left .158 22 6 3 3 0 0 0
2020vs Right .220 56 15 6 11 2 0 0
More Splits View More Split Stats
Home/Away Pitching Splits
Since 2020
 
 
-45%
ERA at Home
2022
 
 
-58%
ERA at Home
2021
 
 
-56%
ERA at Home
2020
 
 
-100%
ERA on Road
ERA WHIP IP W L SV K/9 BB/9 HR/9
Since 2020Home 2.43 1.16 85.1 9 3 1 10.1 3.1 0.4
Since 2020Away 4.45 1.20 56.2 4 0 0 13.0 2.9 1.4
2022Home 2.25 1.22 36.0 2 3 1 10.3 3.5 0.0
2022Away 5.40 1.07 23.1 2 0 0 15.0 1.5 1.9
2021Home 2.13 1.00 38.0 5 0 0 10.7 2.1 0.9
2021Away 4.85 1.42 26.0 2 0 0 11.1 3.8 1.4
2020Home 3.97 1.50 11.1 2 0 0 7.9 4.8 0.0
2020Away 0.00 0.82 7.1 0 0 0 13.5 3.7 0.0
More Splits View More Split Stats
Stat Review
How does Caleb Thielbar compare to other relievers?
This section compares his stats with all relief pitcher seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 30 innings)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.

* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 30 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
  • K/BB
    Strikeout to walk ratio.
  • K/9
    Average strikeouts per nine innings.
  • BB/9
    Average walks per nine innings.
  • HR/9
    Average home runs allowed per nine innings.
  • Fastball
    Average fastball velocity.
  • ERA
    Earned run average. The average earned runs allowed per nine innings.
  • WHIP
    Walks plus hits per inning pitched.
  • BABIP
    Batting average on balls in play. Measures how many balls in play against a pitcher go for hits.
  • GB/FB
    Groundball to flyball ratio. The higher the number, the more likely a pitcher is to induce groundballs.
  • Left On Base
    The percentage of base runners that a pitcher strands on base over the course of a season.
  • Exit Velocity
    The speed of the baseball as it comes off the bat, immediately after a batter makes contact.
  • Barrels/BBE
    The percentage of batted ball events resulting in a Barrel. A Barrel is a batted ball with similar exit velocity and launch angle to past ones that led to a minimum .500 batting average and 1.500 slugging percentage.
  • Spin Rate
    Spin Rate is the rate of spin on a baseball after it is released. It is measured in revolutions per minute (rpm).
  • Balls Hit 95+ MPH
    The percentage of batted balls hit that met or exceeded the 95 MPH threshold.
  • Swinging Strike
    The percentage of pitches that result in a swing and a miss.
K/BB
4.44
 
K/9
12.1
 
BB/9
2.7
 
HR/9
0.8
 
Fastball
92.9 mph
 
ERA
3.49
 
WHIP
1.16
 
BABIP
.345
 
GB/FB
0.70
 
Left On Base
69.4%
 
Exit Velocity
77.2 mph
 
Barrels/BBE
3.6%
 
Spin Rate
2323 rpm
 
Balls Hit 95+ MPH
12.2%
 
Swinging Strike
15.3%
 
Advanced Pitching Stats
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Defensive Stats
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Stats Vs Today's Lineup
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2022
2021
2015
2014
Thielbar was a surprise success story in 2020 at age 33 and there was reason to doubt he'd repeat given his age and small sample size. However, he showed he's no fluke with an arguably better season in 2021. He improved his strikeout rate to 10.8 K/9 and reduced his walks to 2.8 BB/9. Even though he has just a 91.3 average mph fastball, he features a plus curve ball that's been one of the best in the game. That has helped him dominate left-handed batters (.606 OPS allowed to lefties last season). He'll figure into the setup mix again for Minnesota.
Thielbar was a surprise addition to Minnesota's 60-man player pool since he hadn't pitched in the majors since 2015 and spent time in Independent ball during that span. However, he was called up to the majors in August was immediately productive and was often used in high-leverage spots. Thielbar turned his career around with an impressive curveball. While it averaged just 68.7 MPH, he didn't allow a hit on the 94 times he threw it, according to Baseball Savant. His improved four-seam fastball also resulted in a strong 9.9 K/9 despite an average fastball of 89.8 MPH. At age 34 with a journeyman track record, he's not a sure bet to repeat his breakout season. However, his unique curve ball and prowess against left-handed batters (.376 OPS allowed) could give him a steady role again in Minnesota's setup corps.
Theilbar proved he belongs in the majors last year, as the former 18th-round draft pick who was pitching in independent ball before the Twins signed him had a decent season in Minnesota's setup corps. He saw his strikeout rate decline to 6.6 K/9 from 7.6 K/9 in 2013, but he largely had the same season despite an increase in his ERA to 3.45 from 1.76. He gave up more hits, however, thanks to a sharp increase in his opponents' BABIP. Thielbar doesn't have great fastball velocity (88.8 mph), so his upside appears limited.
Thielbar is a late bloomer who was a surprise success in Minnesota's bullpen last season. Originally drafted by the Brewers in the 18th round in 2008, Thielbar was pitching in independent ball in 2011 before signing with the Twins. He had decent strikeout rates, but struggled with his control until last season at Triple-A, where he posted a 3.76 ERA and an impressive 34:8 K:BB ratio in 26.1 innings. After he was called up in May, he began his major league career with 20 scoreless innings and finished the season with an impressive 1.76 ERA and 39:14 K:BB in 46 innings. Despite the strong numbers, there are some warning signs as Thielbar does not have great fastball velocity (89.8 mph) and had an unsustainable .181 BABIP. He will likely win a job in middle relief during the spring, but at age 27 his upside is somewhat limited.
More Fantasy News
Reinstated from injured list
PMinnesota Twins
August 3, 2022
Thielbar (hamstring) was reinstated from the 15-day injured list Wednesday, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.
ANALYSIS
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Makes rehab appearance
PMinnesota Twins
Hamstring
July 31, 2022
Thielbar (hamstring) struck out a batter over a perfect inning of relief in his rehab appearance Sunday for Triple-A St. Paul.
ANALYSIS
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Placed on injured list
PMinnesota Twins
Hamstring
July 23, 2022
Thielbar was placed on the 15-day injured list with a left hamstring strain Saturday, retroactive to July 19, Brandon Warne of Access Twins reports.
ANALYSIS
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Notches first career save
PMinnesota Twins
June 23, 2022
Thielbar earned a save over the Guardians on Thursday, allowing one hit and striking out one batter over two-thirds of an inning.
ANALYSIS
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Reinstated from restricted list
PMinnesota Twins
June 6, 2022
Thielbar was reinstated from the restricted list Monday, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.
ANALYSIS
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