ESPN

• Your Rankings: Who are the best players in the ALCS and NLCS?

Sid Bream, Aaron Boone and Dave Roberts will attest that it's not always the biggest names who make the plays that get teams to the World Series. But it doesn't hurt to have the big guns on your side. The bad news is SportsNation's picks for the NL MVP (Albert Pujols), AL MVP (Joe Mauer), NL Cy Young (Tim Lincecum) and AL CY Young (Zack Greinke) are all home watching on television. At least we've still got one of the Molina brothers.

Colin Cowherd and Michelle Beadle are looking for your rankings on the best remaining players for Thursday's "SportsNation" (ESPN2. 4 p.m. and midnight ET), but voters have already made it known who they would least want to face with the game on the line.

• Vote on ALCS: Which Angels hitter is most dangerous in the clutch?
• Postseason Quiz: Do you know how to run the bases better than the pros?

Remember back when CC Sabathia was a postseason question mark, and Alex Rodriguez was the postseason answer you knew you didn't want? In other words, remember last week? Now people can't get enough of the Yankees' latest primetime playoff performers.

Sabathia had allowed 22 earned runs and 22 walks in his first 25 postseason innings. But after a strong outing against the Twins in the division series, he now edges out Philadelphia's Cliff Lee as SportsNation's first choice to start a must-win game.

• 57 percent of SN, including 71 percent in NY, say pitch Sabathia on short rest in ALCS

And after driving in 17 runs in his first 39 postseason games, A-Rod drove in six in three games against the Twins. But with the game on the line in the ninth inning, would you rather have Rodriguez at the plate than Derek Jeter?

“

This is the right move. With the 3 off days it only makes CC pitch on short rest once that is game 4, and it makes the bullpen deeper. Starters only need to go 6 innings. Joba 7th, Hughes 8th, Mo 9th game over.

” -- con1030

“

Jeter in the regular season: .317/.388./459. Jeter in the post season: .311/.380/.477. So no, Jeter isn't "clutch", he's just a damn good player.

” -- yanks23242