Touch 'Em All: Angels' Mike Trout melts hearts before taking field

Hours before Mike Trout singled in his first at-bat this spring, the Los Angeles Angels outfielder was a big hit with some children.

Trout, a native of Millville, N.J., and teammates David Carpenter, Michael Kohn, and Travis Witherspoon took $5,000 worth of school supplies and toys Monday morning to Children First Academy, a Tempe, Ariz., charter school for underprivileged and homeless children.

"After it was all over the kids ran up and gave us a big hug," the 20-year-old Trout said. "Put a smile on my face and all the teammates that came.

"Doing stuff for the community," Trout added, "it means a lot to me."

A few hours later, Trout scored twice for the Angels in a 9-8 loss to the Seattle Mariners in Peoria, Ariz. The AL rookie of the year and runner-up in the MVP voting last season also walked.

"Felt good out there," he said. "Felt like I had a couple of good at-bats. Still, timing is not there, but it's the first game. It'll get better."

Baseball union head Michael Weiner said there have been talks about increasing the penalties for violating baseball's drug testing program.

"There are certainly some players who have expressed that," Weiner said. "We've had discussions with the commissioner's office. If it turns out that we have a different penalty structure because that's what players are interested in, that's what the owners are interested in, it will be for 2014."

Colorado Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki says he still has to get over the mental hurdle that everything will be OK after a season shortened by surgery on his left groin.

The two-time all-star and Gold Glove winner is coming closer to that every time he is on the field during spring training in Scottsdale, Ariz. He played in his second spring game Monday.

- Associated Press