Born in sunny San Diego, Ed Herrmann had an 11-year career as a Major League Baseball player. One of those years, 1975, was spent backing up the great Thurman Munson as a member of the New York Yankees. Herrmann was a wall behind the plate and loved when runners tried to take a bag on his watch.
Edward Martin Herrmann
Born: August 27, 1946 (San Diego, CA)
Died: December 22, 2013 (San Diego, CA)
Yankees Tenure: 1975
Herrmann attended Crawford High School in California. After graduation in 1964, he started
his pro career by signing as an amateur free agent with the Milwaukee Braves, aspiring to become a big leaguer like his grandpa, Marty Herrmann, who played for Brooklyn in 1918. The following November, he was taken by the Chicago White Sox in a less restrictive phase of the Rule 5 Draft.
This would kick off a decade in Chicago’s organization. The journey started in A-ball in Iowa. As an 18-year-old, Herrmann hit .250 with five home runs across 54 games. The team would leave him in Single-A to start the 1966 season, but he would be promoted and play 42 games at the Double-A level, slashing .243/.316/.368.
Despite the modest results at the plate, Herrmann started to make a name for himself as a very good defensive catcher. Herrmann played in 117 games, hitting nine home runs in 1967 while seeing his average drop to .238. At the end of the season, though, an injury to backup catcher Jerry McNertney while on a road trip put the White Sox in a pinch. They called Herrmann up, and the kid appeared in two games. In his debut, he pinch-hit and doubled in a run before coming around to score himself.
Following that little bit of excitement at the end of 1967, Herrmann was back in Double-A to start the 1968 season. That stint would be short-lived, though, as he would get called up and spend most of the season in Triple-A, where he turned 22 years old that August.
The next spring, Herrmann earned a spot on the big-league roster. For that 1969 campaign, Herrmann split the catching duties with veteran Duane Josephson. Herrmann made 79 starts and posted a slash line of .231/.319/.341 with eight home runs.
Herrmann would spend five more seasons playing for the White Sox, steadily earning more and more of their starts behind the plate. 1970 was his best season at the plate as he batted .283 and hit his career-high 19 home runs. During this run, Herrmann caught legendary knuckleballer Wilbur Wood’s best seasons. Due to his fine work corralling the offering, Herrmann earned several awesome nicknames, including Fort Herrmann, SupHerrmann, and the Block of Granite.
In what would become one of his career highlights, Herrmann was selected to the 1974 All-Star team. That season would be his last in Chicago as an offseason contract dispute ultimately led to him getting traded. The Yankees swooped in and were able to get the catcher for minor leaguers Fred Anyzeski, Ken Bennett, John Narron, and Terry Quinn, none of whom made it to the show, along with some cash the club from the South Side allegedly needed to pay off bills from spring training.
Already rostering superstar Thurman Munson and future Orioles World Series MVP Rick Dempsey, Herrmann became a true luxury backup. In his lone season in pinstripes, he served as the third-string catcher. Herrmann started 53 games and appeared in 80 total, seeing time as a catcher and as the DH.
His final line for the 1975 season was a slash of .255/.309/.410 with six home runs. The Yankees finished the year with an 83-77 record, which slotted them third in the East and out of the playoffs. In the offseason, Herrmann was purchased from the Yankees by the California Angels. Herrmann would play part of a season for the Angels before they traded him in June of 1976 to the Houston Astros for Mike Barlow and Terry Humphrey.
Houston would be Herrmann’s home for the rest of 1976, all of the 1977 season, and until June of the 1978 season, when the Expos of Montreal would purchase Herrmann to back up future Hall of Famer Gary Carter for the rest of the season. The trip north of the border would conclude Herrmann’s time as a big leaguer after he clashed with manager Dick Williams and was released after the season. Herrmann went ahead and officially retired, ending his 11-year playing career at the big league level.
After retiring, Herrmann was hired to scout for the Royals. Additionally, he coached many youth travel teams back home in California and pursued his passion for motorcycles. In 2013, Herrmann passed away at 67 from prostate cancer.
Happy birthday, Ed! We wish your family well on this day.
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