Thayer appeared in 20 games for the Twins in 1978, going 1-1 with a 3.80 earned run average in 45 innings of work, all out of the bullpen.
He spent six-plus seasons in the Minor Leagues for both the Minnesota and San Francisco Giants organizations before finally getting a taste of the Big Leagues, but sadly for him he’d find himself back in the Minors in 1979 and 1980, the latter with the Toronto Blue Jays, before retiring as a player for good.