Twins pitcher delivers his tale of perseverance at Mayo Clinic's children's hospital

Jan. 23—ROCHESTER — When he was down, Caleb Thielbar didn't give up his dream of pitching again in Major League Baseball.

That message of perseverance is one he was able to deliver on Tuesday as the Minnesota Twins Winter Caravan made a private stop at the Mayo Clinic for pediatric patients and their families.

Thielbar, a left-handed relief pitcher for the Twins, attended the annual Winter Caravan along with utility player Willi Castro and team radio broadcaster Dan Gladden.

Thielbar hails from nearby small — town Randolph, an unlikely place to produce a Major League player. But after pitching at South Dakota State University and then in an independent league, Thielbar earned a spot with the Twins in 2013 at age 26.

He didn't allow a run in his first 17 games and had a solid run with the Twins. But after the 2015 season, it looked like his career had stalled out. Thielbar was sent to the minors, was out of baseball for awhile and was coaching in college before he got another opportunity. And he made the most of it.

Thielbar battled his way back to the Twins in 2020 and has been part of the bullpen the past four seasons.

"It's been all over the place," Thielbar said of his relief role with the Twins. "It's kind of good to be versatile in the bullpen. I know they like that a lot. Hopefully I keep that up and have another good year."

Thielbar's story of perseverance can be enlightening, especially in a hospital setting.

"I think the message we can translate is, he didn't give up, and we ask you kids not to give up either," Gladden told the youth patients on hand Tuesday at Mayo Clinic's Eugenio Litta Children's Hospital.

"If I can make them feel a little bit more at home, that's great," Thielbar said. "That's why we do this kind of stuff."

When Thielbar was a rookie with the Twins, his first catcher in the big leagues was Joe Mauer. Mauer was selected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on Tuesday in his first season of eligibility.

"I don't know how common it is to have my debut caught by a ... first-ballot Hall of Famer but it's pretty cool," Thielbar said. "I don't know how many guys can say that."

Last week, Thielbar was one of six Twins players who was eligible for arbitration but signed a contract before the case was heard. Thielbar, who was arbitration-eligible for the final time, will earn $3.225 million in 2024. Last season he appeared in 36 games, had a 3-1 record and a 3.23 ERA 30 2/3 innings.

Not a bad payday for the soon-to-be 37-year-old, who appeared to be headed for a job in the real world just a few years ago.

"I got a lot of help from some different places that taught me a lot more about the game and a lot more about how to pitch without my arm hurting," Thielbar said. "Once I got that figured out, I was able to increase velocity and start to get my pitches better."

Besides his four-seam fastball, Thielbar also throws a slider and curveball.

When Thielbar first was called up to the Twins, his fastball was about 90 miles per hour. Now, more than a decade later his fastball averages 93 miles per hour.

"My mechanics are different, I've trained specifically for velocity and put on a lot of weight which has helped with velocity," he said. "I'm just kind of eating better, I don't do things off the field which hinder recovery. It's just an all encompassing thing that has come together the last couple of years."

Thielbar says he still trains hard, but he is careful not to overdo his training. He spends a good chunk of each offseason in South Dakota before heading to Ft. Myers, Fla., where the Twins hold spring training.

He went to Ft. Myers earlier than usual this winter, anticipating a cold winter that never really materialized. He returned for the Twins Caravan and will soon be heading back to Florida.

He will be part of the Caravan which will make a stop in his hometown of Randolph on Wednesday.

"It will be cool, it's definitely going to be an overwhelming day, but it will be fun," he said. "I spend a little bit of time there during the summer, but not as much as I would like. I think this summer I'll be able to spend a lot more (time) there."