Why Diamond Pacific Was Built

International organizations invest heavily in player development.

But when athletes transition to the United States, training environments and operational support often change abruptly.

Diamond Pacific was created to provide a stable, professional U.S.-based platform — giving organizations a reliable bridge between systems.

A baseball bat leaning against a green wooden bench at a baseball field, with more benches visible in the background and a dirt path beside the field.

Bridging Two Baseball Systems

Moving players between baseball systems introduces complexity beyond on-field performance.

Differences in training methodology, competitive pace, communication norms, recovery standards, and evaluation practices can impact both early outcomes and long-term development.

For organizations, this creates operational risk. For players, it creates unnecessary inconsistency.


Our objective is to reduce that friction.

Diamond Pacific operates as a development and operations partner for international programs, providing structured training environments, controlled evaluation contexts, performance reporting, and on-the-ground coordination within the United States.

Our focus is preparation, accuracy, and long-term readiness.

Our Leadership Team

Experienced operators across professional baseball, international player development, and cross-border sports business.

Headshot of a man in a suit and tie smiling against a plain background.

Jared Riccio

Eric Hillman is the Chief Baseball Officer for Diamond Pacific Sports Group, bringing decades of elite, on-field experience from both Major League Baseball (MLB) and Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) to the platform.

A former pitcher for the New York Mets, Hillman is uniquely qualified to oversee the year-round development curriculum, having successfully navigated the transition between the North American and Japanese professional systems himself. His career highlights include being named the Pacific League Pitcher of the Year in 1996 while playing in NPB.

His expertise is centered on the practical application of development methods, on-field operations, and understanding the cultural and technical demands required for players to succeed in both systems.

Founder, Chief Executive Officer
A baseball player in a uniform with the number 42, wearing a black cap, practicing on the field.

Eric Hillman

Jared Riccio serves as the Chief Executive Officer, driving the strategic vision and large-scale operational execution of the Diamond Pacific platform. As a seasoned sports and hospitality executive, Riccio leads the business development and management required to build a stable, year-round platform.

He was instrumental in leading the launch of the Japanese-American development league, establishing the essential infrastructure, logistics, and partnerships necessary to successfully move players between the two countries' professional baseball systems.

Riccio's focus is on ensuring the platform operates with the stability, continuity, and professionalism that major international organizations demand, mitigating the operational risk inherent in cross-border player movement.

Founder, Chief Baseball Officer

  • Preparation over promotion

  • Standards over scale

  • Long-term readiness over short-term outcomes

  • Partnership over transactions

    Every program is built around organizational alignment, athlete durability, and professional accountability.

Our Guiding Principles