Braden Montgomery’s perfect debut makes White Sox’s haul in Garrett Crochet trade even better

The Chicago White Sox called up 24-year-old outfielder Braden Montgomery this week, and the Texas A&M product was in the starting lineup Tuesday night for his MLB debut against the Atlanta Braves, the best team in baseball.

He made it a night to remember.

Montgomery came to the plate with a runner on, with Chicago trailing 5-4 in the bottom of the tenth inning. Facing Atlanta closer Raisel Iglesias, Montgomery lifted a changeup to the opposite field, depositing it in the left field bleachers for a walk-off home run:

“That was surreal,” Montgomery said to the media. “I couldn’t hear anything. I was told the crowd was pretty loud.”

Montgomery, who was drafted No. 12 overall by the Boston Red Sox in the 2024 MLB Draft, notched a pair of hits in his first game, as he laced a single in the bottom of the fourth, bringing home a run for his first MLB RBI.

The outfielder was one of four prospects traded from the Red Sox to the White Sox in 2024, in a deal for pitcher Garrett Crochet. His debut Tuesday night meant all four of those prospects — catcher Kyle Teel, infielder Chase Meidroth, and pitcher Wikelman Gonzalez — have reached the big leagues with Chicago.

Crochet is currently 3-3 with a 6.30 ERA for Boston.

He also joined a rather small list with the walk-off home run, as he became just the fifth player in MLB history to hit a walk-off home run in their debut since 1900. The other players on that list? Carlos Perez (2015), Miguel Cabrera (2003), Josh Bard (2002), and Billy Parker (1971).

Montgomery’s debut fits with what has been a theme for the White Sox this season: A youth movement. The outfielder is the 12th player to make their MLB debut with the team this season, a list that includes LHP Noah Schultz and 1B Munetaka Murakami, who arrived from the professional ranks in Japan. While Murakami is currently dealing with a hamstring injury, he has already belted 20 home runs for the White Sox this season.

Despite — or because of — that youth movement the White Sox are currently 35-31 after the win over the Braves, putting Chicago squarely in the playoff hunt. As of Wednesday morning the White Sox are just a half-game behind the Cleveland Guardians in the AL Central, and three games up in the race for the second Wild Card spot.

But Tuesday night was all about Montgomery, who lived a “dream” in his debut.

“It was something out of dreams,” Montgomery said after the game. “It’s something that I couldn’t draw up any better myself. … This whole day I’ve been trying to get grounded, understand what the new normal is like for baseball on this stage.”