Born in Panama City, Panama, Garrido is the son of Negro league baseball player Gil Garrido Sr. The diminutive Garrido was 22 years old when he entered the majors in 1964 with the San Francisco Giants, playing for them one year before joining the Atlanta Braves (1968–1972). His most productive season came in 1970, when he posted career numbers in games (101), batting average (.264), runs (38), RBI (19), hits (97) and extra bases (10). He also appeared in the 1969 NLCS won by the New York Mets over Atlanta, 3–0, and went 2-for-10.