Maynard Bert Thiel (born May 4, 1926) is an American retired professional baseball pitcher, manager and scout.
He appeared in only four Major League games as a relief pitcher for the 1952 Boston Braves, but fashioned a 14-year playing career in the minor leagues (1947–59; 1961).
Born in Marion, Wisconsin, he threw and batted right-handed, and stood 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) tall and weighed 185 lb (84 kg).Thiel's MLB trial occurred at the outset of the 1952 season.
He split two decisions, allowed 11 hits, four bases on balls and six earned runs, and compiled an earned run average of 7.71 over seven innings pitched.
He stuck out six.
As a minor league hurler, however, Thiel won 145 games and lost 108 for a .563 winning percentage and compiled an earned run average of 3.76.
He had one 20-win season, and enjoyed 18, 16, 15 and 14 game-winning seasons during a career spent in the farm systems of the Braves, New York/San Francisco Giants and Boston Red Sox.Thiel managed in the Kansas City Athletics and Chicago White Sox organizations, and scouted for the Washington Senators, Braves and ChiSox after his playing career.
As of September of 2019, Thiel is one of the last three living former Boston Braves, along with Johnny Antonelli and Del Crandall.