In , Alou again ended up on the disabled list at the start of the season, and once healthy, he hit .275 and 15 home runs. After the 2002 season, Alou, hired a personal trainer and dedicated himself to returning to his old form. In the season, Alou batted over .300 for most of the season while driving in runs as he used to, before a late-season slump dropped his season batting average to .280, with 22 home runs and 91 RBI. Alou went on to lead the team in batting average in its two series against the Atlanta Braves and Florida Marlins.