WASHINGTON - As September winds down and Major League Baseball's pennant races reach their culmination, minor league seasons have come to a close, with various playoff championships taking place this week. Georgetown alum Mike Garza (C'12) completed his third professional season in 2014, playing for the Milwaukee Brewers High-A affiliate, Brevard County, in the Florida State League.

Garza played in 97 games for the Manatees, batting .286. His average ranked third on the team and he was also among the team leaders in doubles (17), triples (4), RBI (25), stolen bases (8) and on-base percentage (.328). He helped lead Brevard County to a 73-62 record and a second-place finish in the Florida State League's North Division, just missing the postseason.

"As a team, it was a successful season," Garza said. "We finished above .500 and put ourselves in a position to make the playoffs, but it just didn't work out. A lot of guys had good years up and down the lineup and we had some guys do big things.

"Personally, I found myself in different situations and I was able to do some good things. Obviously you learn from the mistakes you make throughout the year, but all-in-all I thought I had a pretty good year and was able to make a lot of those adjustments, whether it was in-season or in-game."

After a slow start to the season, which saw him bat just .250 in 14 games in April, Garza batted .315 in 60 games in May, June and July, including hitting at a .354 clip in 20 June games.

"The biggest thing was consistency at that point of the year. Early on, my at-bats were sporadic at times. It might have been two or three games on, one game off. Part of the struggles early on was learning how to manage those at-bats and the inconsistency with regards to playing time. Part of it was also an adjustment to a new league and the caliber of the pitching.

"It wasn't anything that I tweaked mechanically. Most of what I did was mental, refining my approach and sticking to what I do best. In May, June and July, I was getting consistent at-bats and I was able to put up good numbers."

All 110 of Garza's starts in a Georgetown uniform came at shortstop and, in his first two seasons as a professional, he had played almost exclusively at third base. A logjam at that position, however, pushed Garza across the diamond to first base midway through the season.

"The way that the numbers worked this year, there were some opportunities for me play more consistently at first base, and I obviously didn't want to pass on those. I told the manager that, whatever the team needs, wherever I play, I was good with that. Eventually I would like to get back to third base, because I think that is the position I am best suited for. However, at the end of the day, you just want to be on the field and have the opportunity to get at-bats and develop as a hitter. Defensively, it is never a bad thing to be able to play multiple positions and I thought I did a good job making an adjustment there."

Garza spent two seasons with the Blue & Gray, after transferring from Stanford, putting up big numbers in a Hoyas' uniform during the 2011 and 2012 seasons. He started 53 of the team's 56 games in 2011 hitting .306 with a team-high 39 RBI. His numbers exploded in 2012 to the tune of a .393 batting average to lead the Blue & Gray. His 86 hits that year are tied for the school's season record and earned a selection to the All-BIG EAST First Team.

Since being drafted in the 20th round of the 2012 MLB Draft, Garza has a .283 average in 260 career minor league games. He started with the Brewers' rookie-league team, Helena, in 2012 after leaving the Hilltop. He needed just 19 games, batting .407 with two home runs, two triples and 13 RBI, before being promoted to the next level. He played 38 games for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, the Brewers' Class-A affiliate, batting .209 with a home run and 16 RBI in 139 at-bats. He returned to Wisconsin in 2013 and batted .282 with four home runs in 106 games. He finished second on the squad in batting average as well as second with nine triples and fourth with 41 RBI.

Like every baseball player, both professional and amateur, Garza still has the ultimate dream of making it to the major leagues. He knows, however, that he has a couple of years of development before he is ready.

"First and foremost, the main goal going into next year is getting the bump up to Double-A. From there, as a player, I know I need to keep developing and keep pushing on the mental side of the game. At this point, it really comes down to consistency and how often I can repeat my success and do the things I've shown I can do."