Red Sox Strut: Hanley Ramirez, Craig Kimbrel finish out the month strong

Apr 30, 2017; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Craig Kimbrel (46) pitches during the ninth inning against the Chicago Cubs at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 30, 2017; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Craig Kimbrel (46) pitches during the ninth inning against the Chicago Cubs at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
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The weekly article series where we examine the two players who deserve to strut their stuff for the Boston Red Sox. This week — Hanley Ramirez and Craig Kimbrel.

Apr 22, 2017; Baltimore, MD, USA; Boston Red Sox center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. (19) celebrates with Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts (2) after hitting a two-run home run against the Baltimore Orioles in the third inning during a game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Patrick McDermott-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 22, 2017; Baltimore, MD, USA; Boston Red Sox center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. (19) celebrates with Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts (2) after hitting a two-run home run against the Baltimore Orioles in the third inning during a game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Patrick McDermott-USA TODAY Sports

If you want to fully understand what the Red Sox Strut is, it means to have reason to walk with a confident, proud air around you. Some people mistake it for vanity, arrogance, or being pompous. This incorrect assumption is not what we mean. The Strut is about knowing that your deeds showed off your amazing skills to the baseball-loving public.

It was a huge week schedule-wise for the Boston Red Sox. The Yankees were heading into town for the first time in 2017 as well as the defending world champion Chicago Cubs with former Sox GM Theo Epstein leading the charge.

That was the story that would hopefully end the Dustin Pedroia/Manny Machado drama that dominated the storylines the week prior. Then the story became how the struggling Red Sox offense was costing the team victories.

After a rain out on Tuesday shortened the series by a game, Boston dropped two in a row to New York in disappointing fashion. They did redeem themselves against Chicago over the weekend taking two out of three to get to 2-3 on the week to get to 13-11 for the season – 2.5 games out of first place and in the middle of the AL East standings with the first place Orioles set to come to Fenway to start the week.

Let’s take a look at some of the top performers and not-so-great performers over the course of the last week before getting to the Strutters.

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