MLB Draft Signing Deadline 2012: Prospects Who Will Be Worth the Money

The MLB draft may not hold the allure of the NFL or NBA drafts, but teams still shell out millions of dollars in hopes of getting a good return on their investments.

The 2012 draft signing deadline came and went, and all of the draft's first-round picks elected to sign with their teams with the notable exception of the No. 8 selection in the draft, Mark Appel, who elected to return to Stanford for another year rather than sign a deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

While most teams will do whatever it takes to sign their high-profile selections, there still remains a huge risk of signing players who won't contribute at the major league level for years, if ever. Here are a few prospects who will prove to be worthy of their contracts.

Andrew Heaney, LHP, Miami Marlins

Heaney nearly joined Appel as a first-round pick who elected to not sign with his team. Heaney signed a $2.6 million deal (h/t Baseball America) extremely close to the July 13, 5 p.m. E.D.T deadline.

In Heaney, the Marlins pick up a left-handed pitching prospect who dominated the college baseball scene at Oklahoma State. Heaney was lights-out in college and earned All-American honors for his stellar season. Heaney was second in the country in WHIP with .81 over 118.2 innings pitched.

Heaney is a great prospect who was selected in the 24th round of the 2009 draft, but elected to pitch at Oklahoma State instead. His fastball has been clocked as fast as 95 mph and he featured a solid curveball in college.

While Heaney may not fast-track to the majors like Stephen Strasburg, he should be a prospect to keep an eye on in the future and will, at the very least, be a major trade chip for the Marlins going forward.

Mike Zunino, C, Seattle Mariners

The Mariners got a steal at No. 4 with one of the draft's most mature prospects, inking the draft's top catcher to a contract reportedly worth $4 million (h/t Seattle Times).

Zunino was the draft's second-best overall prospect according to Baseball America. Zunino was a great two-way player in his time with the University of Florida, hitting for both average (.322) and power (19 HRs and 67 RBIs).

Zunino displayed a patience at the plate that will serve him well in the majors, as he drew 31 walks and sported an on-base percentage of .394.

Zunino should be a great value for the Mariners, as a two-way catcher like him is difficult to find. With positional scarcity taken into consideration, $4 million is good value for a catcher that could be a cog in the Mariner lineup for years to come.

Corey Seager, 3B, Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers signed high school product Corey Seager to a $2.35 million deal (h/t Los Angeles Times) despite other picks surrounding Seager getting signed for significantly less money.

While granting that much money to a kid straight out of high school may seem unwarranted, the move should pay dividends for the Dodgers, as the position is in dire need of an upgrade throughout the organization.

With Jerry Hairston Jr. manning the hot corner at the major league level, Seager will be a blue-chip prospect who will shore up the position eventually.

Seager's brother is Mariners third baseman Kyle Seager, so he does have a major league pedigree. If Seager proves to be the third baseman of the future for the franchise, then he will be well worth the extra cash the Dodgers paid.