A lefthanded-hitting catcher, Herrmann played mostly with the White Sox during his first eight seasons in the majors. He was traded to the Astros in June of 1976 for two players and solidified the position. Known as "Hoggy", the San Diego native continued with Houston through the 1978 campaign when he was bought by Montreal, where he spent the last year of his career.

As an Astro, Herrmann hit .227 with four homers in 151 games. For his careeer, he batted .240 with 80 homers over eleven seasons. His most memorable night as an Astro was probably July 9, 1976 when he caught Larry Dierker's no-hitter and supported his pitcher with a home run.

Ed was the grandson of Marty Herrmann who pitched one game for the Brooklyn Robins in 1918.

A motorcycle enthusiast and Christian minister, as well as a baseball coach after retirement, Ed passed away on December 22, 2013 from prostate cancer at age 67.