Can I freeze this pie before baking and then do the full baking process the day of? Or is it better to bake it and then freeze and re-thaw?

There are many Hotline discussions about freezing apple pies, and pretty much the agreement is that freezing them before baking is the way to go. Here's one example https://food52.com/hotline/21945-a-question-about-a-recipe-truly-scrumptious-apple-pie

Cooks Illustrated has a make-ahead apple pie which you freeze unbaked. It's excellent.

You can absolutely freeze fruit pies before baking. Assemble it as instructed, then freeze immediately wrapped in several layers of plastic wrap (don't let it sit around long enough for the fruit to start exuding liquid). The day you want to bake it, take it straight from the freezer and put it into a hot oven. Generally, pies made with apples freeze very well because the fruit is sturdy enough to stand up to freezing and thawing.

I think the freezing process would cause the raw apples to breakdown and deteriorate in a unpalatable fashion. If you think about commercially prepared pies, they are frozen after baking.