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Each year, Major League Baseball presents a Gold Glove award to the player in each league who is the best defensive representative at his position. In this day and age, where offense and home runs make up most of the highlight reel footage, Gold Glove awards are really appreciated and respected by players and fans alike because of the stress placed on getting dirty and playing good old-fashioned solid defense day in and day out. Here's a quick look at this year's winners from both leagues.

Pitcher
American League: Kenny Rogers, Texas Rangers
National League: Greg Maddux, Chicago Cubs

This was the fourth win for Rogers. Maddux, meanwhile, has now won a Gold Glove an incredible 15 times in 16 Major League seasons. That puts him second on the all-time list behind the great Brooks Robinson and pitcher Jim Kaat. Maddux had won the Gold Glove for 13 consecutive years before Mike Hampton of the Atlanta Braves disrupted his streak in 2003. But Maddux got back on track last year and continued his winning ways this season.

Catcher
American League: Jason Varitek, Boston Red Sox
National League: Mike Matheny, San Francisco Giants

This was Varitek's first Gold Glove and Matheny's fourth.

First Base
American League: Mark Teixeira, Texas Rangers
National League: Derrek Lee, Chicago Cubs

Teixeira is among the five first-time Gold Glove winners in baseball this season. Lee scores this award for the second time in his career, the first time being with the Florida Marlins two years ago.

Second Base
AL: Orlando Hudson, Toronto Blue Jays
NL: Luis Castillo, Florida Marlins

Hudson is another first-time winner and somewhat of a surprise choice, as many experts predicted that Brian Roberts of the Baltimore Orioles would win. Castillo has won the award three times now.

Shortstop
AL: Derek Jeter, New York Yankees
NL: Omar Vizquel, San Francisco Giants

No surprises here. Vizquel is a 10-time winner; Jeter has now won twice.

Third Base
AL: Eric Chavez, Oakland A's
NL: Mike Lowell, Florida Marlins

Chavez expressed some doubts about being able to win his fifth award, especially since he was hampered by a shoulder injury in the middle part of the season. Lowell is a first-time winner.

Outfield
AL: Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle Mariners; Torii Hunter, Minnesota Twins; and Vernon Wells, Toronto Blue Jays
NL: Andruw Jones, Atlanta Braves; Jim Edmonds, St. Louis Cardinals; and Bobby Abreu, Philadelphia Phillies

Ichiro has now won a Gold Glove every single season that he has been in the Major Leagues, for a total of five. Hunter, who has made a name for himself by climbing the outfield walls to snatch would-be home runs back into the ballpark, also won for the fifth time. This is the second Gold Glove of Wells' career.

Jones and Edmonds each won their eighth Gold Gloves, while Abreu joins the list of winners for the first time in his career.

Congratulations to all of this year's Gold Glove winners. Their outstanding play out on the field makes the game of baseball a whole lot more exciting to watch!