Texas scouts Japan’s Babe Ruth

Jon Daniels should have learned in 2011 whnen he scouted Yu Darvish that there’s no such thing as going incognito in a baseball stadium in Japan.

Such was the case again Thursday, when the Texas Rangers general manager was spotted with assistant GM Josh Boyd and Japanese scouts Joe Furukawa and Hajime Watabe at a Hiroshima Nippon Ham Fighters game.

The Fighters are Shohei Otani’s team. Otani has been called the Babe Ruth of Japan because he is an elite starting pitcher and an elite slugger.

Otani is coming to play in the majors after this season, and many teams want him more for a fastball clocked at 102 mph than his bat.

The 22-year-old Otani is on the disabled list, so the Rangers didn’t see him play.

Daniels and crew, however, were looking on as Otani threw and worked out.

There are considerable questions about how signing Otani will work based on the restrictions on signing players under age 25 in the new collective bargaining agreement.

Mets

New York closer Jeurys Familia had surgery Friday after being diagnosed with a blood clot near his right armpit, an injury that general manager Sandy Alderson said will sideline the reliever for several months. The Mets put Familia on the 10-day disabled list before their game against Milwaukee and said it was not certain whether the reliever will return this season.

Brewers

Outfielder Ryan Braun was put on the 10-day disabled list with a strained left calf. Braun said tests revealed a Grade 1 strain, the mildest form of the injury. General manager David Stearns is hopeful that Braun will need just a short stint on the disabled list.

Orioles

Baltimore outfielder Adam Jones, the target of racial taunts during a recent game in Boston, has donated $20,000 to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Mo.. Jones plans to visit the museum and speak with its president, Bob Kendrick, Saturday before the Orioles continue their series against the Royals. The museum was founded by a group of former Negro Leagues stars.