Some thoughts and observations from the first 10 picks of the Major League Baseball amateur draft, and the early implications for the Red Sox:

–It came as no surprise that Bryce Harper was taken with the first pick, but it was unexpected that the 17-year-old phenom was announced as an outfielder rather than a catcher.

–The first New England product selected was Matt Harvey, who went with the seventh overall pick to the Mets. Harvey attended Fitch High School in Groton, Conn., before enrolling at the University of North Carolina. The right-hander, who is represented by Scott Boras, was considered a possibility to fall in the draft due to signability concerns. Some thought that he could be a candidate to fall to the Sox at No. 20, in the same way that another UNC product, right-hander Daniel Bard, was left on the board at pick No. 28 for the Sox in 2006. But the Mets moved quickly on Harvey, making him the second college pitcher taken in the draft.

–Former Red Sox second baseman Mark Loretta was at the draft as the representative of the San Diego Padres, one of many connections between the Padres and Sox. It is worth noting that the Sox turned down Loretta’s offer to re-sign with them for the 2007 season for $1 million because the team wanted to make sure that there was no temptation to take playing time from Dustin Pedroia in his rookie season.

Of perhaps greater significance to the Sox was the fact that the Padres (whose Assistant GM, Jason McLeod, used to be the amateur scouting director of the Sox) selected high school right-hander Karsten Whitson. The Padres were considered likely to draft Kolbrin Vitek, a second baseman and center fielder at Ball State University. The Sox have legitimate interest in Vitek, as evidenced by the fact that GM Theo Epstein reportedly scouted him at the MAC tournament.

As an aside to the Sox’ possible interest in Vitek: Vitek could become the second straight toolsy Ball State second baseman/outfielder selected by the Sox, following Jeremy Hazelbaker, a Sox fourth rounder in 2009. Hazelbaker was named the top position player for the Sox in the Fall Instructional League, and while his offensive numbers this year at Greenville are modest (.240/.339/.413), he has swiped 26 bases at this young stage of the season.