PHOENIX » Much has changed for David Freitas in the past year, but the former Hawaii catcher isn’t complaining.

At this time in 2012, he was in minor league camp with the Washington Nationals. But Freitas, 23, who split last season between High Single-A and Double-A, now finds himself in big-league camp with Oakland after joining the A’s in August in a trade for fellow backstop Kurt Suzuki, of Maui.

"It’s been exciting. I’ve really liked it, especially growing up an Oakland A’s fan my whole life," Freitas said. "I’ve always wanted to play for the A’s, and being in my first big-league spring training also, it’s pretty exciting."

A native of Wilton, Calif., about 70 miles from Oakland, Freitas remembers growing up a fan of the Green, Gold and White, so when he got traded to the Athletics, it was a big deal.

"After I got drafted by the Nationals, I didn’t think about it too much. It was just something I always hoped for," Freitas said. "I grew up watching the Bash Brothers (Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire) play and I always wanted to play at the Coliseum. I actually got to play at the Coliseum in high school."

He spent much of 2012 with Potomac, the Nationals’ High-A affiliate in the Carolina League, hitting .271 with five home runs, 46 RBIs and a .780 OPS in 78 games, earning midseason all-star honors. But after the trade, he was promoted to Double-A Midland, where he hit .333 with two homers, 11 RBIs and a .916 OPS in 20 games.

One big plus of making the jump to the Texas League was Freitas started catching some of the top young pitchers in the A’s organization, something that should benefit him in the future. Steve Scarsone, Freitas’ manager in Midland, was impressed with the UH product’s skill set.

"David’s very serious. He did a very good job behind the plate. I like the way he really took control of the game. He was really in tune with what the pitchers are trying to do and trying to do to each hitter," Scarsone said. "Seems to be a student of the game, he really wants to learn and get as much out of each day as he can."

That business-like demeanor is epitomized in the attitude Freitas has behind the plate, especially when it comes to how he calls a game.

"When pitchers give up runs, I blame myself for it," he said. "There is always room for improvement."

He came to UH in 2010 after spending the previous two seasons in junior college. In his lone season with the Rainbows, he hit .292 with 10 home runs and 49 RBIs. But it’s not his statistics that Freitas remembers most; it’s the overall experience.

"It was awesome. I had a great year there. It was an awesome experience," Freitas said. "I lived right off the beach in Waikiki. Being able to play with (UH head coach Mike Trapasso) and those guys was great," Freitas said. "Coach Meij (Keith Komeiji) was there, catching coach, and he actually taught me a lot about catching, a lot of things in one year, which was pretty awesome. And I was able to play with a couple of guys I was pretty close to — Kolten Wong and Lenny Linsky. It was a lot of fun."