BROOKINGS – Former South Dakota State pitcher and current Minnesota Twin Caleb Thielbar was able to meet with fans from Brookings and around the area on Tuesday night as the Twins Winter Caravan made a stop in Brookings.

Thielbar said he was excited to have this even in Brookings.

“A lot of people that I know told me they were coming. I think it’s going to be a fun event and it’ll be nice to get out there and see some familiar faces and do an event in front of them,” he said.

The caravan is a sign that the offseason is winding down for both Thielbar and the Twins. Pitchers and catchers report to Fort Meyers, Florida, on Feb. 16 for Spring Training. Thielbar, who is a native of Northfield, Minn., lives in Brookings because his wife, Carissa, is an assistant coach for the SDSU women’s basketball team.

He has spent every offseason since 2013 in Brookings and works out at the Sanford Jackrabbit Athletic Complex to stay in shape.

“[The offseason] has been good. I’ve been coming [to the SJAC] every day and working out and preparing for the season. I’ve spent some good quality time with my family and between those two things, that kind of takes up all of my time. It’s been a good time, but it’s winding down now and I am looking forward to getting back in the swing of things and start working again,” Thielbar said.

Thielbar will be entering his seventh season with the Twins overall and fourth straight season with the major league club. He pitched with Minnesota from 2013-2015 but then suffered an arm injury. He then had to wait till 2020 and that’s when he got the call from the Twins to join the team once again.

“I felt like I was right on the verge maybe three or four or five years ago and I just couldn’t quite get over the hump or get a call from anyone. Luckily, I was able to get back with the Twins. They tweaked a few things and I was back up [in the majors] and have gone on a good run ever since,” Thielbar said.

Being a Minnesota native, it was always a dream for Thielbar to play for the Twins. Back in 2020 he said it would definitely be special to play for the team once again, and on Tuesday he said that special feeling has kind of worn off, but he really enjoys playing at home.

“I [thought about how special it was to play in my home state] the first couple times [I pitched at home] after being away for so long and I was out there, realizing the dream had come true. Now, it’s all about business. I more enjoy the things off the field. Getting to be around home, getting to see family and going fishing, quite frankly. That’s the thing I enjoy the most,” Thielbar said.

Thielbar has a career 3.01 earned run average and last season he had a 4-3 record with a 3.49 ERA in 59 and one thirds innings pitched. Thielbar has been a solid contributor for the Twins since rejoining the club and starting catcher Ryan Jeffers said he’s a bit of different pitcher.

“It’s funny, now a days in baseball when you see a guy throw 94, you qualify him a crafty guy. But he has some funk. … He’s got really, really good movement on his pitches. There’s not many guys that go out there work harder than he does and to see him take the passion for the craft of pitching and put in the work and get in the weight room, it’s cool. To see a guy that was kind of on his way out of baseball and revive his game the way he has, it’s kind of an honor to be his teammate and see how he works,” Jeffers said.

The Twins are coming off of a season where they went 78-84 and finished third in the American League Central. Minnesota held the division lead for close to half of the season, but injuries derailed them.

The Twins made a big move a few weeks ago when they were able to resign two-time all-star and gold glove winning shortstop Carlos Correa to a six-year contract. Thielbar said bringing back Correa is huge not only because of his play both offensively and defensively, but how he helps other players learn.

“I think [Correa’s] worth to us is hard to really quantify. Obviously, his defense is really good, but the things that he sees around the diamond, not just at his position, but around the diamond. [He knows] what the other team is doing or things that are happening that I would never notice. Those are things that I really appreciate, and he helped me with a few things last year and it was right in the middle of the game,” Thielbar said.

Thielbar is 35 and will turn 36 on Jan. 31. It is likely that he is entering the back end of his career and unlike when he first got to the league, he’s trying to cherish every pitch that he throws.

“I think back to the first time [I was with the Twins] and I was a bit delusional, thinking it was never going to end. … Basically, it ended because of my arm surgery. Now that I’m back I really try to treasure each day and try to make it last as long as possible,” Thielbar said.