Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez reiterated Thursday that he will not employ a strict platoon in left field this season, MLB.com reports. "You pick your spots with kind of like soft platoon," Gonzalez said. "You pick your best eight [position players] every

Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez reiterated Thursday that he will not employ a strict platoon in left field at the start of the season, MLB.com reports. "You pick your spots with kind of like soft platoon," Gonzalez said. "You pick your best eight [position players] every single day. Some days, you go with a matchup. Sometimes you feel that even though he's right-handed [and you're facing a right-hander], if you feel like he can give you some good at-bats, you go with it. For me, it's not a strict platoon situation. We'll play it by ear."

Analysis:

Apparently, Gonzalez is still leaning toward using Gomes as his primary option in left, despite the overwhelming evidence to suggest the team would be better off with a more strict platoon split. Gomes' OPS against right-handed pitching plummeted to .510 last season, and over the past three years, he's mustered just a .670 mark, more than 160 points below his OPS against lefties (.837). Granted, the platoon options are entirely underwhelming, but if Gomes doesn't prove more productive against right-handers, Gonzalez may be forced to give more starts to either Zoilo Almonte, Kelly Johnson, Joe Terdoslavich or Todd Cunningham.