Born and raised in Caldwell, Idaho, Garman was the third overall selection in the 1967 MLB Draft, chosen by the Boston Red Sox.

[3] After spending all of 1970 in the minors, he joined the Sox as a September call-up in 1971 and 1972 as well, and made the big league roster out of the bullpen in 1973.

Following his only full season with the BoSox, he was traded with John Curtis and Lynn McGlothen to the St. Louis Cardinals for Reggie Cleveland, Terry Hughes and Diego Segui.

In his only season in Chicago, Garman made two emergency starts in the second games of double headers, losing both.

[4] On January 11, 1977, the Cubs sent Garman and Rick Monday to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Bill Buckner, Ivan De Jesus and Jeff Albert.