Reds rookie Jay Bruce went hitless in four trips to the plate Wednesday. In light of what the 21-year-old Bruce has done in his first 10 days in the majors, his hitless night warrants almost as much attention as his red-hot start.

Arguably the best minor league prospect in the game going into the 2008 season, Bruce didn’t need much time to show he was ready for the majors. The talented outfielder was recalled May 27 after batting .364-10-37 with a 1.023 OPS in 49 games for Triple-A Louisville. His hitting surge has picked up steam since joining the Reds.

It took seven plate appearances before a major league pitcher retired him, as Bruce started in center field and went 3-for-3 with two walks in his big league debut -- a 9-6 come-from-behind win over Pittsburgh on the 27th. Even after his hitless night in Wednesday’s 2-0 win over Philadelphia, the left-handed batter has five multihit performances in his first nine games.

Bruce, who is in his now-familiar No. 2 spot in the Reds lineup for Thursday afternoon’s series finale with the Phillies, begins play at .485 (16-for-33) with three doubles, three homers and 12 runs scored. Bruce, who also has seven walks and a .585 OBP, is 13-for-19 (.684) with two doubles and three homers batting second for the Reds.

The rookie recorded his first four-hit game and scored the winning run in Cincinnati’s 3-2, 11-inning victory over Atlanta on May 30. Three of his four hits came off left-handed 300-game winner Tom Glavine. Then Bruce homered in three consecutive games, and his walk-off shot in the 10th inning on May 31 gave the Reds an 8-7 win over the Braves.

The darling of Reds fans for his fast start, Bruce rounded the bases while most of the crowd of 38,585 chanted “BRUUUUCE!” in unison. He flipped his helmet into the air halfway to home, before he disappeared into a crowd of teammates at the plate.

“That’s the first walk-off home run in my life, at any level,” Bruce said after the game. “It’s crazy.”

That’s for sure. Bruce, who has been held hitless just twice in nine games, won’t bat in the .400s all season. Still, he’s a legitimate Rookie of the Year candidate -- just like Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun, who joined the Brewers on May 25 a year ago and won NL honors. Bruce has the bat speed, power potential and smarts to succeed right from the start. He has been recognized for his ability to make adjustments between and during at-bats. It’s a skill that will serve him well as big league pitchers see more of him.