How long will Byron Buxton remain with Kernels?

That question was posed Tuesday to Minnesota Twins farm director Brad Steil. He was non-commital about his prized outfield prospect, as you'd expect.

"Good question," Steil said. "I understand it. He's playing very well. There are still some things I think he can learn here. We'll just continue to evaluate it as we go."

Buxton, 19, has been unreal the first month of the Midwest League season, reaching via hit or walk in all 20 games he has played through Sunday. He leads the league in batting average (.389), runs (21), on-base percentage (.511) and slugging percentage (.639), and is second in hits (28) and total bases (46).

He reminds a lot of people around here of Mike Trout, who posted similar numbers with the Kernels as a teenager in 2010. Trout lasted 82 games before getting a promotion to high-Class A.

Will Buxton last that long with Cedar Rapids? It doesn't exactly sound like it.

Steil was asked if the phenom will at least be here until the all-star break in the middle of June.

"Don't know about that," he said.