Pitcher · 2026
Caleb Thielbar
- Age
- 39
- B/T
- R/L
- Height
- 6' 0"
- Weight
- 205 lb
- Number
- #24
- Born
- January 31, 1987 in Northfield, MN, USA
- MLB debut
- May 20, 2013
- Drafted
- 2009, round 18
- College
- South Dakota State
- High school
- Randolph
- Salary, 2026
- $4M
- dbWAR
- 1.0 3 season(s)
- IP
- 35.2
- ERA
- 5.30
- FIP
- 5.36
- K/9
- 11.1
- FIP−
- 128 100 = avg
Caleb Thielbar is a relief pitcher for the Chicago Cubs. In 2026 he struck out 44 batters over 35.2 innings across 42 appearances, going 3-2. His ERA of 5.30 was 26.9% higher than the league average of 4.18 — 12th of 14 on his team, and 381st of 467 among MLB pitchers with 20+ innings. Stripping out defence, his 5.36 FIP suggests the ERA was no fluke. He missed bats on 28.3% of swings (14.8% of every pitch he threw), walked 8.4% of the batters he faced and struck out 28.6%. His -0.3 dbWAR is built from that FIP rather than runs allowed, so it credits him for what he controls and not for the defence behind him.
League context
Percentile among qualified pitchers, 2026.
Platoon splits
How left- and right-handed hitters fare against him.
| Split | PA | AB | H | HR | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| vs LHB | 61 | 57 | 16 | 4 | 3 | 14 | .281 | .317 | .526 | .355 | 23.0% |
| vs RHB | 92 | 83 | 19 | 6 | 9 | 30 | .229 | .304 | .482 | .336 | 32.6% |
Pitch sequencing
What Caleb Thielbar throws in each count, and what he follows each pitch with. Select any cell for the breakdown.
Select a count to see exactly what Caleb Thielbar throws in it.
Pitch arsenal
What he throws, how hard, and how often it misses in 2026.
| Four-Seam Fastball | 254 | 93.3 | 2,311 | 53.5% | 23.6% | |
| Curveball | 165 | 76.3 | 2,589 | 50.3% | 29.7% | |
| Slider | 135 | 87.5 | 2,305 | 50.4% | 35.2% | |
| Sweeper | 76 | 80.3 | 2,487 | 53.9% | 30.6% |
Pitching
Standard and advanced, by season.
| Trend | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 42 | 0 | 35.2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 35 | 21 | 44 | 13 | 5.30 | 5.36 | 1.35 | 11.1 | 3.3 | 127 | 128 | -0.3 | |
| 2025 | 67 | 0 | 58.0 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 38 | 17 | 56 | 13 | 2.64 | 3.00 | 0.88 | 8.7 | 2.0 | 63 | 72 | 1.1 | |
| 2024 | 59 | 0 | 47.1 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 50 | 28 | 53 | 24 | 5.32 | 4.10 | 1.56 | 10.1 | 4.6 | 131 | 100 | 0.2 |
Head to head
Put Caleb Thielbar beside up to three others.
Similar players
Nearest 2026 seasons by command, run prevention and role, on rate statistics rather than totals.
wOBA uses linear weights measured from this season's own play-by-play rather than published constants, and wRC+ is park-adjusted against that same league. dbWAR is our own open implementation — not fWAR or bWAR — and the full derivation, including its simplifications, is on the methodology page.