 In 1956, he played for a Brooklyn Dodgers farm team, the Shawnee Hawks, where he had a 4.50 ERA in 40 games, including 15 starts.Kunkel did not play professionally during the 1957 and 1958 seasons, due to military service.He then pitched two seasons in the Los Angeles Dodgers' system; 1959 with the Great Falls Electrics and 1960 with the Triple-A Montreal Royals, registering 4.19 and 3.86 ERAs, respectively.