Many players and coaches received loud applause when they took the stage for the official introduction of the 2025 Red Sox at Saturday’s Fenway Fest, but the most enthusiastic reception was for the last man to take the MGM Music Hall stage, the only player not clad in the club’s traditional home white jersey.

Garrett Crochet received not one, but two standing ovations from the crowd. The first as he emerged from the wings, the second as chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and team president Sam Kennedy presented him with his first Red Sox jersey.

“It’s humbling,” Crochet said later that day in his first in-person media availability. “I have social media, and you know I felt like fans were excited, but to see it in person and really feel that love is special.”

The Red Sox offseason has been packed with pitching additions, but after going without a lefty in their rotation all last season – save for 11 innings from James Paxton – Crochet is the undisputed top get. Reminiscent of the Chris Sale trade in December 2016, it took four of the club’s top 30 prospects, including top catching prospect Kyle Teel – to pry Crochet from the Chicago White Sox. Kennedy did nothing to manage expectations in his media availability at the start of the day; he described Crochet as “a true ace” and “a lock-down, true No. 1.”

Crochet, who will turn 26 on June 21, isn’t the oldest or most veteran player on the roster, but he said he feels ready to step into the leadership role that comes with being the marquee starter.

“I think that’s any man’s game at this point as to who could start Opening Day, per se, but yeah I look forward to assuming that (leadership) role, if that’s what’s asked of me or if that’s the way that shakes out,” he said. “That was kind of something I was doing with the White Sox this past season, so it won’t be unfamiliar territory for me.”

In other ways, however, Boston will be unfamiliar territory. Crochet went from being the ace of a White Sox team that set a new modern MLB record by losing 121 games last season, to being the presumed ace of a Red Sox team that stayed in the Wild Card race until Game No. 158 last year and was just voted the No. 1 farm system by executives around the league. The pressure in Boston is higher, the spotlight brighter, especially now.

Two years of club control stand between Crochet and free agency. He didn’t get to approve a trade to Boston, but he will have a say in whether or not he wants to stick around. He confirmed that extension talks have already begun, but cautioned that they’re in very early stages. With pitchers and catchers due to report a month from Sunday, he’s focusing on getting ready to be the pitcher his new team needs him to be.

“There have been just, conversations with my agent and the front office, just kind of getting a feel for one another,” he said. “As of this moment that’s what I’m doing, is worrying about on-field stuff, and I’m going to continue to do that throughout the season. I’m happy to just stay in my own lane… That’s why players have agents.”

Crochet is thinking about putting down roots, though.

“Staying in Boston long-term is something that has a lot of merit in my mind and something that, I think that would be awesome.”