Andrew McCutchen's resume may not be enough for Hall of Fame

The Texas Rangers designated Andrew McCutchen for assignment on Wednesday afternoon, ending what has been a disappointing two-month run to open the season. 

In 37 games with the Rangers, McCutchen hit just .192 over 83 plate appearances and managed only a .537 OPS. Given his lack of production, the lack of offseason interest in him before joining the Rangers, as well as his age (39), this is very likely the end of McCutchen's career as a Major League player.

The question now becomes whether or not he did enough over the past 18 years to warrant consideration for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

His resume stacks up with some of the game's all-time greats.

But it still might not be enough to elevate him from the "Hall of Very Good" to the Hall of Fame in the eyes of the voters. 

Andrew McCutchen's Hall of Fame case is strong, but likely not strong enough

If you wanted to make an argument for McCutchen as a Hall of Famer, you would probably start with the fact that he has compiled 2,000 hits, 300 home runs, 200 stolen bases and won an MVP award.

The list of players to reach all of those milestones is incredibly short and includes only the following players.

• Barry Bonds
• Hank Aaron
• Alex Rodriguez
• Willie Mays
• Sammy Sosa
• Frank Robinson
• Reggie Jackson
• Jeff Bagwell
• Larry Walker
• Don Baylor
• George Brett
• Andrew McCutchen

That is it.

The only players on that list that are not in the Baseball Hall of Fame are Bonds, Rodriguez, Sosa and Baylor.

Bonds and Rodriguez would be locks if not for their connection to baseball's steroid era. The same is probably true for Sosa.

That means Baylor is the only non-steroid guy on the list not in the Hall of Fame.

Overall, the list is a pretty good company to be keeping if you are a Hall of Fame hopeful.

Along with his MVP award, McCutchen also had a four-year run between the 2012 and 2015 seasons, where he finished in the top five in the voting every season as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates. No other Pirates player in the history of the franchise ever had a four-year run like that. That four-year run also helped put the Pirates briefly back on the Major League map, snapping a run of 20 consecutive losing seasons and helping them reach the playoffs three times. 

So what is going to work against McCutchen? Reputation and consistent dominance over an extended period of time.

McCutchen does not have a World Series ring and is lacking a true signature moment in a big spot. 

He also did not have many league-leading seasons in any major categories. The only season where he finished as the league-leader in any offensive category came in 2014 when he led the league in on-base percentage (.410), OPS (.952) and OPS+ (163). 

League-leading totals open eyes. They get the attention of voters.

While you can make the argument that McCutchen might have been the best player in the National League in a couple of individual seasons, there are probably not many people who would argue that he was the best player over an extended number of seasons. 

It is those factors (and narratives) that might keep him out.

Great career. But it might not be enough for Cooperstown.