After attending Santa Monica High School in Southern California, he was signed by the Chicago Cubs in 1934, winning twenty games for their Class C Ponca City Angels affiliate as a nineteen-year-old.

He would appear in two games for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1940 and a partial season for the 1943 Philadelphia Phillies before heading back to the Pacific Coast League.

After three seasons with the PCL Hollywood Stars, Kimball was hired by the Boston Braves in 1947 to manage their new Class D club, the Las Vegas Wranglers.

The club finished third in the six-team Sunset League, and Kimball (despite a 14–5 record on the mound and a .361 batting average), was let go as both player and manager at season's end.

Taking a liking to Las Vegas, he stayed in town and took over the helm for the 1951 Wranglers, now playing in the Southwest International League.