Picks are useless against multiple opponents once the shield breaks compared to other 1hs. Your shield has a higher chance to break, since you have to block more often in order to approach.
If you say that you should bring a better shield, the 2 slot shields would prevent you from equipping a polearm for cavalry, and the pick is one of the worst weapons against cav. If you say to bring a heavy 1slot shield, then that defeats the purpose of having a quick, fast 1h weapon with a slow and clunky shield.
Picks already have counters to them. In order to get multiple kills, you have to penetrate inside, often among a group of people. You can't play the range game against a row of foes since the range is too short. You have to risk getting hit to land a hit yourself.
All in all, the short 1h weapons definitely have flaws (that can be overcome by using multiple weapon types). Maybe the hammer is a little weak, though, in comparison to the pick. However, I disagree that it's better in comparison to the other top 1h weapons.