JUPITER, Fla. -- Hanley Ramirez has a comfort level batting in the leadoff spot, and Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez sees no reason to change things up.

On Wednesday, Gonzalez repeated what he's said for a few weeks now, that Ramirez will bat first in the Florida lineup rather than drop to the middle of the order.

One of the game's top overall hitters, Ramirez batted .332 with 29 home runs, 81 RBIs, 51 stolen bases and a Marlins season record 125 runs scored in 2007. He added 212 hits, and an on-base percentage of .386, plus a .562 slugging percentage.

From the No. 1 spot, the 24-year-old shortstop batted .345 (162-for-470), including a franchise-record eight game leadoff homers.

For 39 games last year, Ramirez dropped to the No. 3 slot, where he hit .297 (49-for-165) with six homers and 18 RBIs.

"If the season starts tomorrow, we will lead off with Hanley," Gonzalez said. "We are going to leave him in that position. I think he's comfortable, and he likes it there. We'll see. If we feel like we're struggling with that middle of the lineup, then we'll address it like we did last year."

With Ramirez leading off, the Marlins lineup likely will continue to slot Jeremy Hermida in the third spot. Dan Uggla hit second for most of the last year, but coming off a season where he belted 31 homers, the second baseman may drop to the middle of the order.

If 20-year-old center fielder Cameron Maybin wins a starting spot, he could be a candidate to bat either second or near the bottom of the order, depending on how he progresses in Spring Training.

The Marlins opened their Grapefruit League season on Wednesday night.

Ramirez was not in the lineup, as he is slated to travel with the team to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to face the Orioles on Thursday.

Barring any change of plans, Ramirez will lead off against the Mets on Opening Day, which will be March 31 at Dolphin Stadium. Ramirez is slated to be the first batter to face New York left-hander Johan Santana.