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" for his large size, the San Diego native continued with Houston through the 1978 campaign when he was bought by Montreal, where he spent the last years 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.