If you’ve given even fleeting attention to the current baseball season, you’re no doubt aware that Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee has at least an outside shot at claiming the Triple Crown in the National League. If Lee pulls it off, it would be only the 17th time since 1900 that a player has led his league in batting average, home runs, and RBI.

Glamorous as Lee’s quest may be, two players are currently chasing an even rarer and thoroughly less distinctive honor: the “Anti-Triple Crown,” i.e., when a batter with a qualifying number of plate appearances finishes last in the league in batting average, home runs, and RBI. At present, Tony Womack of the Yankees and Cristian Guzman of the Nationals both have reasonable shots at winning – or is it losing? – the Anti-Triple Crown.

As you can see in the accompanying chart, the ATC has been accomplished only 13 times since the start of the 20th century, most recently by Ramon Santiago in 2003. Freddie Maguire of the Boston Braves is the only player to claim two ATCs, but the most shameful distinction probably belongs to Woody Williams, who did it in 1945, when military conscription had badly thinned the herd of major league-caliber ballplayers.

On the other hand, Enzo Hernandez may have topped that ignominious feat by driving in only 12 runs in 606 plate appearances during the 1971 season. Certainly, the Padres’ NL worst team OBA of .291 didn’t help, but Hernandez batted .182 with runners in scoring position and was 0-for-9 with the bases loaded. In fact, Hernandez went from July 2 to August 25 that year without recording a single RBI.

The grisly numbers of Ivan DeJesus, the 1981 ATC winner, were actually helped along by the fact that he played his home games in Wrigley Field, which was quite a hitter’s haven in 1981. On the road that season, DeJesus slugged .217 and logged only 3 RBI for the entire year (albeit a strike-abbreviated year). Interestingly enough, the ATC list also includes one Hall of Famer: Ozzie Smith.

As for Womack and Guzman, take a look in the accompanying chart at how they currently stack up in their respective leagues:

AVG (Rank) HR (Rank) RBI (Rank)

WOMACK, NYY .239 (93RD) 0(T-LAST) 11 (LAST)

GUZMAN,WAS .200 (LAST) 3(T-83RD) 13 (T-99TH)

Womack has significant ground to make up in the AVG department. But he still has a shot. Bottom feeders like Kansas City’s John Buck (.230) and Cleveland’s Aaron Boone (.200) or Casey Blake (.224) could easily fall short of qualifying; others, like Texas’s Richard Hidalgo (.205), Anaheim’s Steve Finley (.225), and Tino Martinez (.225) are likely underperforming.

Still, much needs to happen for the Yankees’ second baseman/left fielder/centerfielder to earn the dubious distinction. Womack is tied with Chicago’s Scott Podsednik and Oakland’s Jason Kendall in the homers category, and it’s entirely possible someone in the AL will finish without a single bomb. Womack’s RBI tally is only one shy of Detroit’s Nook Logan, so that’ll be a tight one, as well.

The possibility exists that Womack will soon be given a permanent spot on the bench, and thus fall short of qualifying, but given the huge holes in the Yankee outfield, his playing time appears safe for now. At present, Womack has 269 plate appearances and, according to MLB rules, needs 502 for the entire season to qualify.

As for Guzman, he’s last in AVG by a full 19 points, so that mark appears safe. The HR race looks untenable for him at first blush, but only two homers separate him from the anti-lead. Guzman also has a couple of factors in his favor in the RBI chase. One, he’s batting low in a lineup that ranks ninth in the league in OBA and playing in a park that suppresses scoring; two, many of the players behind him figure to get less playing time as the season wears on. Guzman’s playing time appears safe: He’s on pace for 567 plate appearances.

All told, both players face significant obstacles on their paths to the ATC. But if Lee’s Triple Crown hopes go south and your fantasy team isn’t cutting it, there’s something to follow for the balance of the season.