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Angels trio visits Children's Hospital of Orange County

ANAHEIM -- The life of a professional athlete is immensely time consuming, but prior to Monday's game against the Twins, a trio of Angels took the time to visit the Children's Hospital of Orange County.

Ernesto Frieri visited the hospital by himself in 2012, but he was joined by Kevin Jepsen and Mike Trout this time around.

"For me, it's really important to help those kids with anything," Frieri said. "They really love the team. When you're sick, all you want is a smile, all you want is to see somebody you really like, and that's why I went this year again."

The trio went to every room and spent time talking with the children. They also took photos with the kids and presented them with autographed hats and balls.

While Frieri enjoys brightening the kids' days, he admitted that the trip is not completely filled with smiles.

"It's tough," Frieri said. "You see a lot of tough things over there. Kids one or two years old already have cancer; that's really sad."

Although it is not always easy to see kids who are struggling, Frieri enjoyed the visit and plans to go again.

"Any time that they ask me to go to the hospital and do stuff like that, I'd love to do it," Frieri said. "I love to make people feel special. I wanted to go and let them know that they have our support and we are going to pray for them."

William Boor is an associate reporter for MLB.com.
Read More: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Kevin Jepsen, Ernesto Frieri, Mike Trout