"Wes Carroll has read the blogs and seen the skepticism: The Twins are turning their shortstop job over to that little guy?

That little guy is his older brother, Jamey Carroll, a journeyman infielder who turns 38 next month and hasn't hit a home run since 2009.

"It's amazing," Wes said in a phone interview this weekend. "Everywhere he's gone, if you read the papers and the message boards, they're talking about his weaknesses. And by the time he leaves, they're all talking about his strengths."

Wes, 33, might be biased, but he knows his baseball. He was a minor league infielder for five years, peaking at Class AAA, and is now the coach at the University of Evansville. The oldest Carroll sibling, 39-year-old Jason, was an offensive lineman for two years at Indiana University.

"Our oldest brother is a monster, and I was bigger and pretty athletic," Wes said. "Jamey was kind of the runt of the family, and he's the one who's done the most. What he's been able to accomplish at 5-9, 170 pounds soaking wet -- it's an unbelievable story.""