New York Mills alum Zach Vennaro joins Twins affiliate in Wichita

A New York Mills arm that climbed from Class D baseball to the edge of the big-league pipeline is headed to affiliated ball. Zach Vennaro, the 6-foot-6, 220-pound right-handed reliever from New York Mills, had his contract purchased by the Minnesota Twins organization and is expected to join the Wichita Wind Surge in Double-A Texas League action.

The move came after Vennaro spent his third season with the High Point Rockers in High Point, North Carolina. In 92 appearances for the independent club, he struck out 119 batters in 87.2 innings, went 1-3 and recorded four saves. High Point said Vennaro led Rockers pitchers with 44 appearances in 2025, when he worked 41.1 innings, struck out 53 and earned one save.

Vennaro, who turned 30 on June 3, was born in New Hartford, New York, and first entered pro ball when the Colorado Rockies selected him in the 13th round of the 2018 MLB Draft. His path also included time in the Biloxi Shuckers organization, and MiLB.com listed his career totals at 11-11 with a 5.83 ERA across 148 games and 160.2 innings, with 188 strikeouts. Before the Twins move, MiLB.com had listed him as released.

The Wichita roster page lists Vennaro as active, putting him in line for a chance to pitch in a system that values experienced relief depth. High Point said the Twins purchase was one of seven player contracts bought from the Rockers this season and 56 since the club started in 2019.

For New York Mills, the jump carries local weight beyond one roster move. The school’s baseball program competes as a Class 1A team in the Park Region Conference, and Vennaro’s rise gives the area another example of a player from a small Minnesota program reaching affiliated baseball after years of persistence outside the draft spotlight. In a county that knows the value of homegrown athletes, his route from New York Mills to Wichita is the kind of milestone young players notice.